


It's a Safe Bet

by WildClover27 (PrairieFlower)



Category: Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25776835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrairieFlower/pseuds/WildClover27
Summary: A mission in Italy goes wrong and keeps getting worse.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Non-canon characters are mine and not for use in other people's stories.

Terry walked casually down the stairs, grip in hand. She was wearing shoes with a stout heel and a flowered afternoon dress. Nylons encased her legs. Her hair was done up in a big roll in front and the wavy tresses pulled back and held in a loose pale green bow at the nape of her neck. Powder, rouge and lipstick had been applied to her face. The grip was set by the front door and the girl walked toward the office. 

Casino noticed her first. He got up from the table and intercepted her to circle and pointedly look her up and down.

“What are you all dressed up for?” he asked.

It got the attention of the other three cons . . . and Craig. 

The lieutenant rose from his desk and walked to his doorway, giving his sister a more restrained up and down perusal. 

“That’s not how you usually dress to tend bar,” he remarked.

Terry smiled cheekily. “That’s because I’m not tending bar. I’m attending bar.”

“Attending,” repeated Garrison suspiciously.

Chief grinned at her from his window seat. “Got a date?”

“As a matter of fact . . .” The girl’s grin widened. “In London. Oh, and don’t wait up for me. I’ll be back tomorrow night.” 

She didn’t dare look at Actor, not sure of the response, if any, she would get from him. And not about to question why it would matter to her. Craig’s reaction was predictable.

“Teresa Marie Garrison!”

Terry’s grin disappeared to be replaced with a pinched mouth glare. “Craig William Garrison, I am twenty-five years old. I don’t have to answer to you for who I see, where I see them, or for how long I’m gone as long as there isn’t a mission. And I checked. There isn’t one. However, seeing as you are my concerned brother, I will explain this time. I’m taking the train to London. I am meeting up with Royce at the base and we are going to dinner and dancing. Then he returns to the base. He only has an evening pass. Then I am spending some time with our sister. So, if something comes up, call Crystal.”

With that, she turned on her heels and walked deliberately to the door. Now she really dared not look at Actor or any of the other men. If she had, she would have seen the back of the Stars and Stripes instead of the Italian, a look of disgust on Casino’s face, and grins on Chief and Goniff.

“Have fun, Love,” the pickpocket couldn’t resist.

“I intend to.”

GGGGG

The next morning, Terry and Chris, clad in pajamas, were having breakfast at the table. Tinker, Dirk and Kelly were ‘visiting their aunt’ so it was safe to walk around the flat in their nightwear.

“So how was it?” asked Chris around a bite of toast.

Terry shrugged and took a sip of ersatz coffee. “It was good.”

“But?” Chris was tuned into her sister’s mood.

“I don’t know.” Terry shook her head. “He’s fun. He swings good. Maybe not quite as good as Casino. And I guess I’m just too used to dancing the slow ones with Actor.” She gave an unladylike snort. “I need to get away from those guys for awhile.”

Crystal laughed. “So, you have all day. You’re in London. Why don’t you play tourist for the day? I hear there’s some kind of minor showing at the art museum.”

“You want to come along?” asked Terry.

“I wish,” replied the younger girl. “No, today is grocery shopping day. You know all those queues at every shop, especially the butcher’s. It’ll take me most of the day, and then I have laundry to do before the boys get back. I hate having my underwear draped over the radiator when there are men in the house.”

So that was how Terry found herself wandering around the exhibits, alone, at the National Gallery. Terry moved with the other patrons around the displays of modern art. It didn’t really interest her like the old masters did. Maybe with Actor interpreting . . . but then she wasn’t sure that he liked the modern stuff anymore than she did. Besides, the whole point of today was to get away from the guys and have a little time to herself. 

“Teresa?” The voice was feminine and cultured and familiar.

Terry turned, eyebrows rising in surprise to see Elizabeth smiling at her. She returned the smile and walked back to the woman. The Englishwoman was dressed in a mid-calf length dark blue woolen dress with a fur against the cool air in the unheated museum. She had, accessorized on her arm, a tall young blond wealthy-looking mustachioed man. The woman sure knew how to pick them.

Elizabeth held her hands out and Terry took them in hers leaning in to exchange air brushed kisses on each other’s cheeks.

“Darling, I thought that was you. How nice to see you again. Are you alone?” she glanced around with a frown.

“It’s nice to see you again too, Elizabeth,” said Terry. “Yes, I’m alone this time.”

“Oh, that’s a shame, Dear.” The woman smiled mischievously. “I’d like you to meet my friend, Jonathan Moresby. Jonathan, this is Teresa . . . My goodness, Darling, I’ve forgotten your last name.”

Terry laughed, not believing that for a minute, and turned to the handsome man who couldn’t be much older than her. “Garrison,” she said, holding a hand out.

Jonathan took her fingers in his and gave a small bow. “A pleasure, Miss Garrison.”

“A pleasure to meet you too, Sir,” replied Terry. 

Elizabeth linked her arm with Terry’s and guided the girl across the room toward a painting. “Now what do you think of this one?”

Terry eyed the garish eyeball that looked out from a background of angles and bright primary colors. “Not much I’m afraid. I prefer the old masters and the Renaissance period.”

“Ah, but this type of art invites the observer to become involved,” said Elizabeth. “The bold colors and sharp angles define the boundaries of convention. The eye represents an inquisitive mind straining to break free of that convention.”

Terry’s head cocked a little to the side as she tried to see anything more than a child’s attempt with tempura paint. What she did see was why Actor was attracted to the older woman, besides her class and elegance. Elizabeth was a copy of him; same inquisitive mind delving into art to see beyond the simple beauty of something to the core and meaning of it. An ability Terry despaired of ever hoping to achieve to any great extent.

Elizabeth tucked her arm though Terry’s. “Come, there is a very pleasant tea room just down the hall.”

The two women walked down the hall to the tea room, trailed by the tall blond Englishman. Elizabeth chose a table in a far corner. Moresby seated both ladies. Elizabeth reached up for the young man’s hand.

“Jonathan, could you be a dear and get us each afternoon tea? Earl Grey if they have it,” she asked with just the right touch of helplessness.

“Of course, Elizabeth,” he replied and went to do as she asked.

Terry could not help but smile. The woman had Actor’s charm and manipulation. The girl’s eyes followed the trim figure of the man walking away.

“No uniform?” Terry asked.

Elizabeth laughed. “Oh never. I believe he is involved with Intelligence. Old family ties. His father pulled in favors to get him posted somewhere reasonably safe and not anywhere near the front lines.”

“Nice looking anyway,” Terry complimented Elizabeth on her choice of companion. 

“Yes,” agreed the older woman. “Too malleable though. He just doesn’t have Vittorio’s spine. Or his expertise. Too young.”

Terry couldn’t contain a quiet chuckle. Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled at her.

“And how is dear Vittorio?” she asked.

“Just fine,” replied Terry. 

“You’ve ruined him I’m afraid,” sighed the older woman.

Terry looked at her in surprise. “Ruined him? How could I have ruined him?”

The last time I was with Vittorio, his lovemaking was a bit . . . inattentive. 

Terry’s eyebrows shot up. “And how does that have anything to do with me? Elizabeth, we are not sleeping together. I don’t see how I could have an effect on his . . . uh . . .attentiveness.”

“When a man like Vittorio becomes inattentive during lovemaking, it is because of another woman.”

“Well, I am not that other woman,” denied Terry in frustration.

“So, you have not partaken of his favors yet, My Dear?”

“No,” denied Terry. “I told you, we do not have that kind of relationship.” It was not because they hadn’t tried, they just kept getting interrupted. That wasn’t anything the older woman needed to know.

“Now Teresa, you really must experience his lovemaking at least once.” Elizabeth gave a little frown. “Though it does tend to color your appreciation of other men.”

“I’m sure it does.” Terry was hard pressed not to laugh.

With the young man gone and the secluded space they were in, Terry became emboldened by the accusation. “So, may I ask something rather personal, Elizabeth?”

“Of course,” the woman smiled.

Terry was still a bit hesitant. “If I were considering it, which I am not, how . . . would one go about . . . pleasuring . . . someone like Vittorio?”

Elizabeth laughed, “Oh, Darling, that is easy. You needn’t worry about that. Vittorio pleasures himself.”

“I beg your pardon?” gasped Terry.

Elizabeth was getting great enjoyment from the young woman’s reaction. “No, Dear, not like that.” Terry took a breath in relief. “Vittorio gets his pleasure from pleasing the woman. Believe me, by the time he has you ready for him, he is ready for you.”

Terry almost wished she had not asked. The conspiratorial look on Elizabeth’s face put the younger woman at ease. “And Mr. Moresby?” the girl couldn’t help but ask.

Elizabeth gave a ladylike snort. “That one is still in training. Sometimes it amuses me to be the teacher.” The older woman glanced to see how long her friend would be at the counter and turned her attention back to Terry. “And how is your dear brother?"

“Craig’s fine too,” replied Terry.

“I’m sure that one doesn’t need training either.”

Terry had just taken a sip of water and did choke on it. She remembered the offer of a liaison had been made that long-ago evening at the Savoy but didn’t think Craig would actually take Elizabeth up on it. Surely her brother would not want to go where Actor had already been, so to speak. Would he? Besides he seemed to have a girlfriend already. Terry managed to pull herself together, under the twinkling eyes of Elizabeth, as Moresby returned with a laden tea tray. Luckily, the rest of the tea was without any further surprises.

GGGGG

It was dark when Terry parked beside the Packard. She pulled her grip out behind her and bounded up the steps. Glancing around the common room, she swore none of them had moved since she had left. 

“It’s about time you got back,” Craig called out grumpily from his office.

“Why?” asked Terry.

“We have a mission. I tried calling your sister, but she couldn’t get hold of you.”

“So, when do we leave?” asked Terry wearily.

“In an hour,” replied Garrison. “I hope you ate.”

“Did you?” asked the girl.

“I made ‘em me potato surprise for dinner,” Goniff answered first.

“I ate,” said Terry. Tea and cucumber finger sandwiches would have to do. There was no telling what the surprise was in the Cockney’s potatoes.

“So how was your date?” asked Casino with his usual attitude indicating he didn’t think much of it.

“Very nice,” replied Terry. 

She glanced around the room. She had the attention of Casino, Chief and Goniff. Actor was puffing on his pipe and reading his book, ignoring her.

“If yuh wanna dance, I can take yuh dancin’,” said Casino. “And you don’t hafta go clear to London.”

Terry looked at the safecracker’s smart aleck grin. “Yeah, but you can’t take me to dinner.”

“Why not?” demanded Casino.

“Because none of you are dating my sister!” came a firm voice from Garrison’s office.

“Betcha I dance better than he does,” teased Casino, ignoring the Warden.

Terry chuckled and walked up behind the man and squeezed his shoulders. “Okay, I admit, you swing with a bit more style than Royce does.”

“Told yuh.” Casino had seen Royce dancing with Terry at the Fox and though the man knew the steps, he just didn’t seem to have the flair he should have.

Terry gave him a quick peck on the temple and walked back toward Garrison’s office.

Casino never knew when to quit. “Yeah, well you need more than those slow, quiet ones to dance with, Babe.”

Terry did not turn around but heard the quiet humph from the vicinity of the Italian. Men, she thought. Speaking of . . . She stopped in the doorway to her brother’s office.

“You and I need to have a talk, Brother Dear,” she said.

Garrison looked up at her tone. “About?”

“I ran into one of your little friends in London.”

Craig frowned. “Lt. Johnson?”

“Not that kind of friend.” Terry flicked her eyes in the direction of the Italian.

Garrison’s face turned into the one he wore playing poker with the Gallagher brothers.

Terry leaned a little forward and mouthed, “Does he know?”

“There is nothing to know,” replied Craig in a quiet enough voice it didn’t carry beyond his office to the men.

Terry shook her head and gave him the benefit of the doubt that he had not been with Elizabeth. “Okay, what do I need to pack?”

“Evening gown,” said Garrison, getting back to business.

“Where we going?”

“Germany.”

“Lieber Gott!” said Terry dramatically. “Noch mal?”

“Noch mal,” was the response.

Terry headed for the stairs and was treated to Casino’s familiar griping.

“You just watch. The Allies’ll drop a bomb on our heads.”

“Halt dein Mund,” Terry threw over her shoulder as she bounded up the stairs with her grip.

“Wot’d she say?” 

“Shut up,” replied a cultured voice smugly.

GGGGG

General Ardmann adjusted the right sleeve of his formal tunic and glanced at his companion in their box overlooking the orchestra and stage. She was elegant in a long green brocade dress. A fox fur protected bare shoulders from the cool air in the opera house. Pearls graced her slender neck and ear lobes beneath carefully coiffed auburn hair. The general smiled inwardly in approval. 

The young woman gazed in seeming boredom at the scores of formally dressed people rapidly filling the opera house who had come to attend the Wagner opera, ‘Lohengrin’. A field marshal and his entourage filled the box directly across from them. Below were assorted wealthy patrons and a large contingent of officers from all branches of Hitler’s military. There were enough medaled men present that a few well-placed bombs or a direct hit from an Allied air raid over Berlin could have devastating results for the Reich. Still these people acted as though there was no war going on.

Beside her, Hans was in a low, but casual, conversation with General Brandt about the merits of Wagner. Both men were of relatively equal rank, though Brandt was Abwehr and Hans was Waffen SS. General Brandt’s wife, seated on the other side of him, studiously avoided the young woman after she had been introduced as Ardmann’s companion. Elsbeth was used to being snubbed. It went with being the expensively well-kept mistress of an officer. 

The house lights flickered, indicating the imminent beginning of the production. People took their seats and the rumble of many voices in conversation lowered and ceased as the formally dressed conductor walked onto the front of the orchestra pit. The house lights dimmed out, the man at the podium was highlighted, the applause turned into a hushed silence, and the orchestra began to play the quiet opening to the overture. Elsbeth settled back in her chair. It would be a long hour. She did not have the appreciation for opera that Hans had, but she tried hard to learn about it to please him. Still, it would only be an hour. They would leave at the first interval, as long as Hans was assured that General Brant would be staying for the remainder of the performance. By then, the other members of their team should have fulfilled their part of the mission.

GGGGG

The slight, wiry blond man carefully cut a small square pane of glass from the window in front of him. His two teammates, hidden behind a bush, watched cautiously as he slipped his small hand through the hole and unlatched the window. He eased it open a scant inch and felt around for any wires that might indicate an alarm system. Finding none, he eased the window open further and checked again. Satisfied there was no alarm attached, he opened the window all the way and gestured with a flourish of his hand for the other two to enter.

Casino shook his head at the man’s theatrics, causing the obstinate curl of dark hair to fall onto his forehead. Goniff was getting as bad as Actor with the overacting. The safecracker watched as Garrison peeked inside to make sure it was clear. Apparently, it was because the lieutenant gestured, less dramatically, for Casino to enter. Casino hitched a leg over the sill and eased inside the room. He glanced around quickly for any guards before darting across the hall and into a recessed doorway. He beckoned the other two men inside. Garrison went next, pausing beside the window. Goniff followed and darted across the hall to scrunch down between two cabinets. The lieutenant pulled the window almost shut before moving stealthily down the hall to his right.   
The general’s office was an inside room at the end of the hall. Silently, Garrison turned the doorknob and pushed the door slowly in. A look inside told him the room was empty. Now he beckoned to his men and went inside. Garrison waited in the center of the room while Goniff took a post watching at the door that was closed to a slit. 

Casino’s eyes swept the room and settled on a painting that would be the right size to cover a wall safe. A delicate finger sweeping of the edges of the painting did not turn up any wiring. The painting swung out sideways to reveal the safe. It had a fairly simple combination lock. A grin came to the master crackman’s face. He turned to his boss.

“Hey, Warden,” he whispered. 

Casino pointed first at Garrison and then at the safe. The officer shook his head and pointed to his watch indicating there was not time for an amateur to attempt to crack the safe. Casino grinned and shook his head before jerking it telling Garrison to come over.

Somewhat reluctantly the officer approached.

“We got time,” whispered Casino. “If yuh take too long, I’ll push yuh outta the way and do it myself.”

Craig hesitated only a second. He wanted to try his hand at the real thing. Casino had been teaching him on his office wall safe and he was getting pretty good at it. However, there was a tension in this situation that was lacking at the Mansion. Casino stepped back and allowed him to move up next to the safe. 

Garrison flexed his fingers and gingerly took the dial between his thumb and middle finger. He carefully turned the dial until he felt the first tumbler drop. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Craig slowly turned the dial in the opposite direction and . . . felt nothing as he completed an entire circle. Stifling a curse, he spun the dial and started over. The first tumbler was fine, the second could not be felt, at least by him. He shot a frustrated look at Casino and shook his head, backing away. Garrison did not want to waste precious time fiddling with the thing.

Casino took his place. The cracksman had the safe open in less than 30 seconds. It made Garrison feel like an inept child. As he reached into the now open safe to retrieve the papers inside, Casino leaned into him and whispered in his ear.  
“The second tumbler was touchy, the third one was a snap. You’d’a had it if you kept on a little longer.”

Craig shook his head. “Couldn’t take the time,” he whispered.

Garrison took the papers to the desk, swapped out the light bulb on the desk lamp, and pulled the microfilm camera from his pocket. Casino laid out one page at a time while the lieutenant snapped pictures of each. The papers were then returned to the open safe by the cracksman while the officer changed the bulb back and placed his bulb and the camera into separate pockets of his jacket. Craig stood and watched Casino close the safe, wipe it for prints, and swing the painting back in place, wiping it for prints also. 

The three men made their way out the same way they had come in. No alarms went off. No guards caught them.

GGGGG

The first act of the opera went by too fast for Actor and too slow for Terry. Despite the inner tension from the situation they were in, the confidence man was thoroughly enjoying the music and singing. It had been a long, long time since he last had the opportunity to experience firsthand such an excellently staged production. This theater was not up to the near perfect standards of La Scala, but the acoustics were by no means poor. Terry, on the other hand, could not wait for it to be over. She might tease Actor into singing a few lines for her once in awhile when they were alone and could not be overheard, but that was because she loved the deep, rich timbre of his baritone singing voice. Finally, the curtain closed, and the house lights came on.

Actor escorted Teresa down to the lobby where there were refreshments available. He continued a conversation with Gen. Brandt about the irritating resistance of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto to the attempted destruction by the Reich. The general, of course, knew more than he was letting on. Part of his reticence was due to the sensitivity of the information and part due to the dislike of the Abwehr for the Waffen SS. Actor sincerely hoped the lieutenant was accessing the information the general was hinting at.  
About twenty minutes into the interval, a young dark-haired corporal moved through the crowd and approached Actor. He remained silent, flashed a straight-armed salute, and held out a note to the man. Terry watched with feigned interest as the tall man opened and perused the ‘note.’ Shaking his head, he crumpled the paper into his pocket and gestured for the corporal to leave.

With an expression of genuine regret, Actor spoke to Teresa in German, apologizing for ruining her evening, but some urgent business had arisen that he must take care of immediately. Terry smiled and replied that she understood. Actor bid a good night to Gen. Brandt and escorted Teresa out of the door through which the corporal had entered.

GGGGG

The five men and one woman were seated in a row on the metal bench that ran along the fuselage of the British plane that had picked them up in a field close to the border between France and Germany. Garrison rested his head back against the cold curved metal wall and mulled over in his mind what he would put in his report. His sister was tucked up shoulder to shoulder with him for warmth. The other side of her was tucked up against Actor for the same reason. Chief came next, followed by Casino with Goniff on the end.

“Now this is what I call a good mission. ‘Nuffin’ went wrong.”

“Shut up!” four voices shouted in near unison.

“You’re going to jinx us,” complained Terry.

“Yeah, yuh dumb Limey,” added Casino. “We ain’t home yet.”

Garrison swallowed a smile. His sister was picking up the superstitions of the cons. Though he had to admit, even he was afraid to label a mission as ‘good’ until they were back in the relative safety of the mansion.

“How did you enjoy the opera?” Actor asked the young woman beside him.

“The male tenors and baritones were okay,” replied the girl. “And that basso wasn’t so bad. I still think those high soprano women sound like cats with their tails caught in a door.”

Craig could just picture his second’s eyes rolling at that remark. “Face it, Actor,” he said. “You are never going to teach her to appreciate opera.”

“You may be correct in that, Warden,” admitted the con man ruefully. “And I thought Elsa was delightful.”

“You would, she was a blond. Now gentlemen,” Terry wiggled between the two male shoulders. “I like some opera, when it’s men singing. I just don’t like screeching women.”

Garrison and Actor bent their heads forward to exchange a look.

“Like I said, lost cause.”

“I am afraid you are right.”

Terry shrugged. “So next time we go to a concert playing Vivaldi.”

Actor’s eyebrow rose at that. “I am sure the Warden can arrange that for our next mission.”

“Right.” Casino had been listening to the conversation. “And Hitler’s gonna hand Germany over to Eisenhower on a platter.”

“You have no faith in my brother,” lamented Terry. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against Craig’s shoulder in an attempt at sleep in the buffeting airplane.

“Your brother has no faith that he can arrange something like that,” Craig said to her.

GGG

The next afternoon found the men in Garrison’s office, lounging around the conference table. Terry entered the room and set a bowl on the table of freshly picked strawberries from the garden patch she had found and freed of weeds. As she straightened, her hands flashed out and walloped Actor’s and Goniff’s booted feet that were crossed atop the shiny wood. Goniff grumbled as he lowered his feet. Actor glared at her before slowly lowering his. Chief’s feet went to the floor before the woman could reach him. Garrison studiously ignored the byplay while Casino chuckled and reached for a strawberry. The girl took her usual seat beside the confidence man, exchanging a glare with him that was tempered by both the twitching corner of her mouth and a tiny shake of his head.

“Okay,” started Garrison, “transport in?”

“Gotta hand it to yuh, Warden,” said Casino. “Driving in tuh Berlin in a general’s car was pretty classy.”

“What would you know about class?” asked Actor, taking a small handful of strawberries. 

“Listen you . . . “ Casino started to rise.

“Enough!”

The safecracker sank back in his chair under Garrison’s no-nonsense glare. Actor ignored the volatile man and calmly placed a strawberry in his mouth.

Garrison threw the ball into Actor’s court. “How was the interaction with General Brandt?”

“The good general knew much more than he was letting on. I hope you were able to get that information from the safe.” He sighed. “It was a pity we could not have stayed for the rest of the performance.”

“The first act was way too long,” interjected Terry.

Actor despaired of ever teaching the young woman an appreciation of fine opera.

“You have more input?” Craig asked his sister, hoping not.

“Nope,” she replied. “I wasn’t doing anything useful. I was just his mistress . . . again.”

Now Goniff piped up. “”Ey, Warden. For a big shot general, ‘is security weren’t nuthin’ to write ‘ome about.”

“Yeah,” added Casino. “One guard, no wires. What’s the matter with those people?”

Garrison shrugged his eyebrows. “If you were living in Berlin, would you be concerned with an Allied break in?”

“They must notta heard about us,” the safecracker retorted cockily.

“Good thing,” muttered Chief.

“Those people are crazy,” said Terry, reaching for more fruit. “At the opera, they all acted like there wasn’t a war on.”

“Hitler still has them convinced the Reich is invincible,” explained Actor, “even with the bombings.” He turned his attention to the lieutenant. “The information you obtained. Did it contain information on the plans for Poland after the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto?”

“Let’s just say G-2 is finding the information very useful.” Garrison moved on. “Transport out?”

“We didn’t get to spend enough time in Switzerland,” bemoaned Terry. “I didn’t get to see anything except snow on the mountains.”

Her brother shook her head. “Maybe after the war you can go for a vacation.”

Terry turned a teasing grin toward Actor. “Will you take me to Switzerland?”

“No.”

That got snorts or laughter from the other men. Terry gave him a disgusted look.

Goniff grinned at her. “Now, Terry Love, remember you’re ‘just ‘is mistress’. He won’t take you to Switzerland. ‘E’s got too many Swiss birds in that little black book o’ ‘is.”

“He’s got half of Europe in that little black book of his,” lamented the woman.

Actor gave her a cautioning look. He remembered she had seen all the names in his little black book. She needn’t be spreading any of that information around. To the men, he smiled haughtily.

“Yeah, and he don’t share ‘em very often either,” groused Casino.

The smile turned snooty at the safecracker. “The women I am acquainted with do not meet your low standards.”


	2. Chapter 2

Casino pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen and stood, watching Terry wiping down the table and the countertop. She gave him a glance never ceasing her work.

“You gonna be done soon?”

“Almost done now,” was the reply. “Why? You want coffee? Get it yourself.”

“No,” said the cracksman with a shake of his head. “I want you, Babe.”

That brought a laugh from the girl and stopped her actions. An amused look crossed her face. “No way . . . Babe. You’re not my type.”

Casino gave a hmmph. “Yeah, we know what your type is.”

Terry smiled. “And we know I’m not his type,” she said with unconcern.

“You wanna learn how to crack a safe?” said Casino, getting to the point. He really did not want a discussion about Terry and Actor’s relationship even if he had kind of brought it up.

Terry was puzzled. “I thought you said you’d never teach me that?”

“Said I’d never teach yuh how to rob a bank.” He shrugged. “You want to or not?”

Terry nodded, wiping her hands on a towel and stepping forward to stand in front of him. “So why now?”

Casino pulled a face of disgust. “Warden just don’t have the knack for it.”

“Or the patience,” added the lieutenant’s sister.

“It’s like this. I said I was gonna teach Garrison to open safes. Lieutenant Garrison isn’t going to take the time to learn the hard stuff. That means I failed. So I figure I’ll teach you, Sister, and then I can say I taught ‘Garrison’.”

Terry laughed up at his grin. “Okay. So where are we going to do this?”

“We’ll start with the Warden’s wall safe.”

“I know the combination,” said Terry in confusion.

“Not blindfolded yuh don’t,” Casino grinned.

Terry tossed the towel on the table and followed the man to her brother’s office. Garrison looked up in annoyance at the intrusion.

“I said not to bother me. I have to get through this paperwork by this afternoon.”

Casino gave a cocky grin. “We ain’t gonna disturb yuh, Warden. We’ll be real quiet. Hope you can be quiet too.”

Terry couldn’t quite stifle a grin. Craig was watching her, not his safecracker. He could get more from her.

“He’s going to broaden my education,” she said cheerfully. “He’s going to teach me how to open safes.”

Garrison rolled his eyes. “This mean I’m going to have to try to keep five of you out of jail now?”

“Six,” shot back Terry. “You can be just as bad as Actor pulling cons.”

“I don’t do it as a sideline,” said Craig wryly.

Casino put his hands on his hips and glared at the officer. “Warden, do you mind? She ain’t gonna be able to hear the tumblers with you gabbin’.”

Now Craig glared at his safecracker, until he caught sight of his sister trying with much difficulty not to laugh. Shaking his head, he turned back to his paperwork. 

Casino grinned and pulled the kerchief from around his neck. Terry obligingly turned her back to him so he could cover her eyes. That done, he flipped the painting of King George IV back to reveal the wall safe.

“We’re American. How come we got a picture of the Limey king?”

“Because this is England, Casino,” replied Garrison without looking up. 

“Even Eisenhower would be better than him,” grumbled the safecracker.

“Are you two going to sit and chat?” asked Terry. “Or is somebody going to teach me to break into safes?”

Casino took the opportunity to put an arm around the girl’s shoulders and pull her over to the safe. He guided her head so her ear was against the cold steel of the safe door. A thought crossed his mind and he looked up.

“Hey, Warden, you ain’t changed the combination since the last time I was in it, have yuh?”

Garrison did not even look up. “Why bother?”

Casino snickered. He turned his attention back to the girl he was pressed up against. 

“Now listen good,” the cracksman whispered into her ear.

He twirled the dial and then slowly turned it to the first number. A second later, he turned the dial the other way and went to the second number. Finally he went to the third number and pulled the handle down, opening the safe.

“You hear ‘em, Babe,” he whispered into Terry’s ear.

“Yeah,” Terry nodded.

Casino closed the door and twirled the dial again. He reached for the girl’s right hand and placed it on the dial. ‘Okay, now turn it slowly to the right until you hear the click. Thumb and middle finger work best.”

With agonizing slowness, the girl turned the dial. It gave Casino a chance to stay close to her. She was a little bony, but she sure smelled good. He leaned a little closer. The fingers stopped and Terry turned her head, raising the kerchief from over the near eye to give him a glaring look.

“I just want you to get the feel of it,’ he whispered so the Lieutenant wouldn’t hear.

“I will feel the safe,” whispered Terry. “You will not feel me, unless you want my heel on your instep.”

Casino put a tiny bit of space between them. “I’m just tryin’ to help you.”

“Uh huh.”

With one final glare, she tugged the cloth back over her eyes and went back to the dial. After a bit, she frowned. “I couldn’t hear the last one.”

Casino twirled the dial. “That’s okay. Yuh can’t expect to get it the first time out. Try again.”

It took two more tries before the safe opened to Terry’s triumphant grin. Garrison’s head swiveled to stare at her.

“She’s got the fingers for it,” said Casino with a grin. He reached up and pulled the kerchief over her eyes. “Okay, do it again. We’re gonna keep doin’ it until you can open it every time. And now you know what to listen for, try to feel the tumblers with your fingers.”

They kept at it for another half hour until Casino decided that was enough for the first lesson. The girl really did have the fingers for it.

Each day, Casino made Terry practice on the wall safe. Once in awhile, the lieutenant gave it a try. Their practice only lasted a few days before there was another mission.

GGGGG

Garrison laid a map on the conference table in his office. The four cons and his sister leaned forward to get a closer look. Italy. It made two at the table happy, but not necessarily the other three.

“We are going to Pesaro,” said Garrison. “The report is the Germans are planning a line of defense across Italy. Our job is to get pictures of these plans. They are in a safe in headquarters on the west edge of the town.”

“I sincerely hope they don’t expect us to jump in,” remarked Actor, tamping fresh tobacco into his pipe. “That is a solid German stronghold.”

“No,” replied Garrison. “We will be dropped by sub north of the town.”

Chief had been sitting quietly as usual. “Warden, you didn’t say this was going to be a simple in and out job.”

“That’s because it isn’t going to be.” Garrison looked around the table at his men and woman. “As Actor pointed out, this is strongly held German territory. The sub can’t risk coming back to the same place to pick us up. We’re going to meet up with resistance and they will lead us in and then out to a landing spot north of Ancona.”

“So why am I coming along?” asked the girl, hurriedly adding, “not that I mind.”

“Because we don’t know how we are going to access this safe,” said Garrison. “I may need you and Actor to pull a con.”

True to form, Casino had some words of sarcasm. “So we’re goin’ into the middle of a bunch of Krauts to open a safe, but we don’t know how we’re gettin’ to the safe, and we have to rely on some resistance to get us out. Sounds like they didn’t give us much of a plan.”

“They didn’t,” admitted Garrison. “Major Schaeffer tried to get more information from London but couldn’t get any.”

“So why do we have to use resistance to get out?” asked Chief. “Why can’t we just get ourselves there?”

“That is the one part of this G-2 did set up,” Garrison replied.

Goniff leaned back in his chair. “I don’t like it, Warden.”

“Neither do I,” said Craig. “But we have our orders and we’ll follow them.” He looked around the table again. “We leave at 1100 hours from Archbury. We’ll be flown to Cairo.”

“Cairo?” Terry asked brightly. “Pyramids? Camels?”

That earned her a disgusted look. “You won’t be there long enough to see a pyramid. We will be picked up at the airbase and taken straight to the sub.”

“Figures.”

“It’s going to be a long trip. Get ready.”

The group broke up and went to pack.

GGGGG

Terry got to see her pyramids, from a distance, as the plane came into the air base. On the way to the sub pens, they passed laden camels being led or ridden down the narrow streets. It was a close as she would come to seeing something Actor found uninteresting. He had seen it all before so, since they would not have time for him to take advantage of his little black book, he smoked a cigarette and did not even look out the window.

The sub ride was long. Luckily Goniff had not been able to eat much of anything before boarding so he was free of his usual nausea. The cons were bored. There were no set plans for what they were to do when they reached Italy, so there was nothing to go over a dozen times. Actor’s deck of cards was brought out and a poker game ensued between the four cons. Terry took a nap, and Garrison disappeared to talk to the captain.

It was still dark when the two rafts left the sub. A flash of light signaled where they were to land. The group was split up with Actor, Goniff and Chief in one raft and Garrison, Casino and Terry in the other. As they neared the shore, they all watched for signs of German troops. The sub crewmembers paddled the rafts toward a spit of rocky bluff that extended to the water. To either side were long stretches of sandy beach.

Knowing how well voices carried over water, Terry leaned into her brother and whispered right into his ear. “I don’t like this. Too much open space.”

“I know,” Garrison whispered. “At least we will be close to the cliffs.”

“This ain’t good, Warden,” whispered Casino. “I don’t like it.”

“None of us do,” replied Garrison as quietly as he could.

The seaman who was paddling their boat leaned forward and asked, “You want me to turn around, Lieutenant?”

“No,” said Craig. “We’ll see what happens.”

The rafts landed side by side on the edge of the sandy beach. Garrison got out quickly, followed by Casino. The cracksman reached a hand back and helped Terry out before grabbing the one duffle bag they had. At the other raft, Actor was out and scanning the area with Chief beside him. Goniff had grabbed their duffle bag. The rafts quickly disappeared back into the darkness and headed for the sub.

“Warden,” hissed Chief.

Garrison followed his stare into the dim light on the rocks. The figure of a man appeared and walked cautiously toward them. Actor stepped forward with Garrison by his side. 

“Fiore rosso,” Actor gave the password.

“Giardino bianco,” came the reply. The man stepped up to them and addressed Actor. “Lieutenant Garrison?”

“I’m Lieutenant Garrison,” said Craig. “This is Actor.”

“I am Matteo,” said the man. “Come with me. We must leave this place quickly. It is patrolled regularly by the Germans.”

Garrison beckoned the others with his hand and they silently followed the man along the edge of the bluff. Garrison followed Matteo and behind him came Casino, Goniff, Terry and Actor. Chief followed a few yards back, watching for trouble from behind. Leaving the beachhead, they wound up a narrow rocky path to the top of the bluff. One by one, they scooted across a road and disappeared into a forest. It was difficult to see the trail, but Matteo had used it so often he knew every turn and every rock and obstacle.

When they stopped for a rest break, Garrison approached their guide. “Are we going into Pesaro?”

“No,” replied the man. “Too dangerous at night. The streets are heavily patrolled. You will go in during the day with a delivery truck to a man who will direct you to a safe house. There you will be instructed on where the information is.”

After a bit, they continued on. The ground rose at a low grade further into trees. The trail wound around increasing numbers of stone outcroppings and into a small valley. They crossed this and rose more steeply into rocky canyons. Finally, they came to a road. Matteo told Garrison, through Actor, the road led back down to the town. A truck was hidden from sight and this they would use in early afternoon to go to see the butcher. Passwords were given. A couple hundred yards further and higher and they reached a cave. A curly haired olive complexioned man of indeterminate age was waiting for him, rifle in hand. He was introduced as Gianni. Gianni led them into the cave while Matteo disappeared into the darkness.

The new man told Actor they could rest here. He would be guarding the entrance. Garrison watched as a short conversation took place between his second and the resistance man. With a nod from the con man, Gianni slipped back outside.

“What was that about?” asked Garrison with suspicion.

Actor shook his head. “He said he will talk to me because he trusts a fellow countryman more than these crazy Americans. I neglected to tell him I am now a crazy American.”

Craig laughed at that thought. Sobering, he asked his second, “Is he leaving or standing guard?”

“He will stand guard until we leave. We know where the truck is and I can tell you where the butcher shop is and the passwords.”

Garrison nodded and looked around. There were lanterns lending a flickering dim light throughout the large, dry room of the cave and a fire for warmth and cooking was burning at the far end. What little smoke rose from the flames escaped through a long crack in the ceiling. The others had chosen spots along the walls and were settling in for a nap with the exception of Chief. The Indian approached the two leaders.

“Warden, you want me to keep watch?” he asked.

“Not yet,” replied Garrison. “Get a couple hours of rest and then go out.”

Chief nodded and went to the wall, close to the entrance so he could see out. Not that he could see much past the rocky opening of the cave. Garrison and Actor hunkered down by the opposite wall and Actor filled the Lieutenant in on what the plan was, where the butcher shop was and what the passwords were.

Garrison looked around. Neither he, nor Actor, got much if any sleep on a mission. Goniff was sleeping with Terry tucked up to him. Casino had his own piece of wall and seemed asleep. It was hard to tell with Chief. The Indian looked like he was sleeping, but usually he could tell Garrison everything that went on wherever they were.

Just before dawn, Chief rose and relieved Gianni. Instead of going into the cave, the Italian man disappeared into the trees. The sun was lighting up the front of the cave when the resistance man came back. The high sides of the canyon kept the rest of the area in shadow. Chief let the man take over the watch and went in to see if there was anything to eat.

Chief glanced at Garrison and Actor, who were talking strategy again. Terry was back by the fire and the smell of ersatz coffee just barely teased his nostrils. He joined Casino and Goniff to accept a tin cup of the hot brew from the girl. 

Terry poured three more cups and walked over to her brother and the con man. She gave them each a cup and took the other one out to Gianni. She returned to the fire and got a cup for herself, going back to sit against the wall, closer to Casino this time. 

Goniff had just stood and ambled over to Garrison with a question. The question never got asked.

“Warden!” Chief called loudly.

The Indian tossed his cup aside, splashing hot liquid down the wall as he leapt to his feet, blade in hand. It was the only warning they got before a band of roughly dressed men poured through the entrance of the cave. Garrison and Actor had made it to their feet as they were set upon by the strangers. The others were up and moved into the fight.

Terry stayed back out of the way as the fight escalated between her brother, his men, and the group she took to be another batch of resistance from their dress and manner of fighting. Something had gone terribly wrong. The resistance group which had brought them to the large cave had left Gianni with them, but he was probably dead now. This group was apparently a rival to the first one. Wasn’t it enough to fight the Italian army and the Nazi without having to fight each other?

As it was, Garrison’s group was outnumbered by more than two to one. Terry watched apprehensively. So far, they were holding their own. Garrison was in close combat with a man slightly shorter but heavier than he. He was not able to keep tabs on what was happening around him. Another resistance man pulled a knife and raised it with the intent of burying it in Craig’s back. Some instinct took over and Terry’s arm flashed out. Her switchblade caught the man beneath his raised arm. It went in deep enough to take the man down and out of the fight. Dolce santa madre del Dio! This was the second time she had killed with the knife.

She could not dwell on it long. Casino was involved in a close quarters brawl with a man taller and heavier than himself. Terry watched as he took a blow to the stomach that sent the air from his lungs in a whoosh and had him headed for the floor. His assailant grabbed him roughly by the back of his shirt, spun him around and sent him headlong into the stone wall. Casino’s right hand went out in an attempt to stop his flight, but he slammed first his right fist and then his head into the wall. He dropped to the ground in an unconscious heap. Not satisfied with incapacitating his opponent, the resistance man moved in with the intent of bashing Casino’s head into the ground. 

Terry did not think. She flew across the space between them and tackled the man, taking them both to the ground. Younger, fresh and more agile, Terry regained her feet first. As the hulking man started to rise, Terry twirled and caught him under his right ribs with the toe of her boot. She knew instinctively she had killed this man too. 

There was no time to think about it as another man dove at her. She twirled again on the ball of her foot and just managed to evade the flying body. He rolled and regained his feet. They both crouched, eyeing each other. Mistaking the woman as being no real threat, he moved in the tackle her. Terry let fly with a roundhouse fist she had learned in the barn dance fights growing up. Clipping his jaw, she sent him to the floor, his head hitting with a resounding crack. Before he could clear his vision and evade, Terry’s boot heel came down with full force into his groin. There was a short scream of pain and then he lost consciousness.

A large back collided with Terry’s and she swung around, recognizing Actor just in time to keep from punching him in the kidney. He dispatched his opponent and swung around at the perceived new threat.

“Teresa!”

She stood her ground against his angry countenance. “Casino’s down.”

Actor’s arm swept around, flinging her behind him as another man moved in for the attack. Terry backed out of the way, keeping an eye on the con man and also what was going on around her. Actor fought with a combination of fists and Savate moves that would have impressed her if she had time to dwell on it. With free space behind her, she continued to back out of the way of the fighting.

Terry surveyed the scene in front of her. Garrison had dispatched his man and was helping Goniff with two attackers. Chief was the farthest away but he was slicing and dicing his way through three of them. She doubted he needed any help. Instead, she turned and moved toward Casino, still motionless on the ground by the wall. She stopped at the body with the knife sticking out of it and retrieved her blade, wiping it on the man’s clothes as she had seen Chief do before. As she straightened, movement caught her eye and her attention turned away from the safecracker.

Another assailant had popped up from somewhere and Actor was fighting two of them now. The first one had a wicked knife that sliced through the sleeve of his left arm, drawing a wash of blood. It was enough to put his left arm out of the fighting. Terry moved swiftly back in, her right leg coming up in a kidney blow to the assailant on Actor’s right. He went to his knees. Actor barely acknowledged it, eyes on the man in front of him with the wicked grin and the even wickeder knife. He felt Terry press her switchblade into his hand and a mean grin came to his face.

Terry moved away again. Watching, as the suave, sedate, aristocratic man she knew went into a crouch and fought with knife and leverage learned on the streets of Paris in an earlier part of his life. Craig had been right about not backing Actor into a corner.  
Free again, Terry turned and leapt over bodies to get to Casino. The man was still not moving as she knelt beside him. Carefully, she rolled him onto his back. There was a nasty bruised swelling on his left forehead. She gently tapped his cheeks with her hands. 

“Casino! Come on, Baby, wake up.” 

Terry was worried. Though she had seen the men with worse bumps, it did not always mean there wasn’t a skull fracture. His head had collided pretty hard with the rock wall. With a groan, he blinked his eyes and looked up at her, focusing blurrily.

“You with me?” asked Terry.

“Yeah, I think so,” he replied.

He reached up with his right arm to grab his aching head and gave a yelp, left hand grabbing his right wrist. “Dammit!”

Terry carefully took his wrist and hand in hers and examined it. The wrist was swollen on the outer side and the knuckles were split, swollen and bleeding. She was certain the wrist was broken and possibly some knuckles. She carefully rested the hand and arm against his chest and turned her attention to his head.

“How’s the vision?” she asked.

“It’s clearin’,” replied Casino with a grimace. “My head’s killin’ me.”

“No doubt,” said Terry with a small smile. “It hit something as hard as it is.”

“Thanks,” grumbled Casino. He listened to the sounds around them. “How’s it goin’?”

Terry surveyed the room of the cave. Chief had come to Actor’s aid and was just dispatching the only one of the resistance men left standing. 

“Actor’s cut,” she said. “Chief looks okay. Goniff’s banged up. Craig took a couple few hits.”

“Oh, this went well,” Casino complained. “Let’s go home.”

“I’m all for that,” replied Terry, knowing her brother would probably veto that suggestion.

Inside the now silent cave, Garrison, Actor, Chief and Goniff looked around at the carnage. That they had come out of this without losing any of the team was a miracle and good hand-to-hand combat training. But what a waste, thought Garrison. So many resistance people lay dead because of group rivalry.

A painful groan came from a young man curled in a ball on the ground close by. Garrison and Actor approached him. Pain-filled eyes looked up in anticipation.

“I ought to kill you,” said Actor in Italian.

“Why don’t you?” asked the man through gritted teeth.

“Idioto!” snarled the con man. “For what? You should have saved your fighting for the Nazi, not each other.” Actor turned to Garrison. “What do you want to do with him?” he asked in English.

“Chief,” called the lieutenant.

“Yeah, Warden?” The scout approached. “Want me to finish him?”

“No!” Garrison ran a dirty hand through his hair. “Take him out and let him go.”

“But ‘e’ll go back an’ tell the others, if there are any,” objected Goniff.

“Yes, and maybe they will know not to come after us again.”

“Oh,” Goniff was dubious.

Chief reached a hand down and dragged the man to his feet. The man stayed hunched over in pain as the Indian dragged him toward the entrance.

“And see if you can find, Gianni,” Garrison called after him.

A nod let him know Chief had heard. Craig shook his head.

“He’s going to wish he hadn’t tangled with Terry.”

“Teresa did that?” asked Actor. “Forget I asked that. Of course, it was her.”

They turned toward the girl and their downed safecracker by the wall.


	3. Chapter 3

The three men approached the girl and the safecracker. Terry had removed the knotted neckerchief from around Casino’s throat and was fashioning a sling from it for the injured arm.

“Wrist is broke or dislocated,” she reported to her brother as she worked. “He’s got a goose egg on the top of his head. Can’t feel any indentation of his skull, but he’s going to have a heck of a good concussion.”

Garrison sat on his heels and studied the wrist before it was slipped into the sling.

“Can you use it?” he asked.

“Craig!”

“I don’t know, Warden,” replied Casino, ignoring the girl’s outrage. “I just don’t know.”

“We must get out of here soon,” said Actor. “Can you walk?”

“Don’t know that either.”

Terry finished placing the injured arm in the sling and looked up at the Italian. His right hand was holding his left upper arm tightly. Both hands were covered in blood and it still oozed through the fingers trying to keep pressure on the cut. Whatever Terry had been about to say to the man about his response to Casino was swallowed back. She stood and walked over to him. Her hand reached into his left pants pocket and groped around.

Actor glared at her. “Other pocket.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said. 

Now she groped in the right pants pocket and pulled out the ever-present linen handkerchief. Avoiding his look, she took opposite corners and twirled the linen square into a band. 

“Let me see that,” she said to Actor.

“Just tie it tight,” he answered. “We don’t have time.”

“Quiet.”

Garrison had risen to his feet and looked at his second. “That going to be okay for awhile?” he asked. He wanted them on their way in case others came looking for their friends but did not want to put the con man in any danger.

“It will be fine until we get to the safe house.”

“Do what he says, Terry,” said Craig. “You can take care of it later.”

“Men,” muttered the girl under her breath, just loud enough she knew the con man could hear. 

She replaced his hand with the handkerchief and tied it tight enough to slow the bleeding but not cut off the circulation. She grimaced as he winced.

“It’s fine,” he said quickly.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Her tone indicated she thought it was anything but fine.

“Gianni’s dead.” Chief entered the cave. “Throat was cut.” He approached the others. “They okay?”

“No,” said Terry before he brother could answer. “But it’ll have to wait.”

“Is it clear?” asked Garrison, even though he knew if it wasn’t, he would have heard about it already.

“Yeah,” affirmed Chief, “for now.”

“Okay, then let’s get out of here,” said Garrison.

Terry and Goniff helped Casino to his feet. The cracksman weaved on his feet for a second, trying to get his bearings. Goniff took Casino’s good arm over his shoulder and they all headed out. 

Chief took point followed by Garrison, Goniff with Casino, Actor, and Terry took the tail. On the way out, the girl picked up her knife from the floor beside a body and took a gun off another body. The gun went in the waistband of her pants until she got the knife secured in its wrist sheath. Actor picked up one of the duffle bags and handed it to her. The other one he carried in his good hand. When they got to the entrance, Terry paused and looked back at the bodies sprawled on the ground, a frown on her face.  
Actor stopped and watched her, hoping she wasn’t going to fall apart. A closed look dropped over her face and she turned. She walked past him, looking straight ahead. She was getting better at the con, thought the master confidence man; because he knew it was a con. He hoped she could work through it without becoming a detriment to the group.

They walked down the rocky trail in almost single file. When the trace became too narrow for Goniff and Casino to walk side-by-side, Garrison helped the safecracker from in front and the pickpocket helped him from behind. Terry was too busy watching the trail behind them to do much to help though she kept glancing at Actor to make sure he was doing okay. She had not gotten a good look at the knife wound but knew he had lost a lot of blood, so it was deep.

The camouflaged truck was where it was supposed to be, well off the road and covered with a tarp and brush. The uninjured of the group yanked the covering off, tossing it behind some bushes. Casino was loaded into the back with Goniff, Chief and Terry. Garrison took the wheel and Actor rode shotgun in the front. The engine started right up, and they were able to get on the road. 

“How bad is the arm?” asked Garrison after a bit.

“It’s deep,” replied Actor. “I can still move all the fingers, so tendons are intact.”

“We’ll clean it and stitch it as soon as we get someplace safe,” assured Garrison. He did not let on that he was feeling guilty for not allowing his sister to take care of the wound earlier.

“We needed to get out of there in case there was more resistance coming back for revenge. Some of these cells have a couple hundred people in them.”

Garrison wondered how it was the man always seemed to know what he was thinking. He did not ask but drove on toward the town. They were in a butcher’s truck, supposedly full of carcasses to be delivered to the meat shop. 

As they approached the edge of town, they encountered a checkpoint of Germans. Actor had obtained a jacket from one of the duffle bags and had it opened over him, leaning against the door, covered, and feigning sleep.

A guard with a rifle approached the driver’s window. “Wohin gehen Sie?”

Craig shook his head. “Non ho capito. Non parlo tedeschi.” If he had to speak anything more than that in Italian, they were going to be in trouble. He pointed toward the sign on the side of the truck and then pointed first to his eyes then the back with a shrug and raised eyebrows as though miming a question.

The soldier was too lax and tired of dealing with the locals who had little respect for the Reich despite Mussolini’s alliance with Hitler. He motioned the barrier to be raised and with a flick of his hand indicated the truck could go on. It was not the first time he had seen that particular truck and always before it had dead animals in it.

Garrison nodded and drove through. A block later a voice came from the still ‘sleeping’ man next to him.

“I thought you did not speak Italian anymore?” There was a hint of humor in the question.

“I was reaching for that,” admitted Garrison.

“I see I must watch what I say in front of you.” Actor sat up with a grimace of pain.

“Too bad. It was more fun when you didn’t know I could understand some of what you said.” There was a hint of humor in the officer’s voice too.

Actor looked at the streets as they drove slowly toward the center of town. “Girare a sinistra.”

“Turn left,” said Garrison, doing just that. “Knock it off and speak English. I’ll be clear through town without finding the shop if you keep that up.”

Actor grinned. “Two blocks and turn right. It should be a one-way street.”

Garrison followed the directions as they were given to him just before he arrived at the turns. After meandering down the narrow, shadowed streets, he was directed into an alley and stopped at the back door of the meat shop.

Terry jumped down from the back of the vehicle and walked around to the passenger door, climbing up on the step. She peered first at Actor then at her brother. They were in a bind. Actor’s injury could not be disguised, Terry was not dressed correctly, and Craig did not speak the language enough to make credible contact. She assumed this was why they were at the back entrance to the butcher shop.

“Now what?” Terry asked.

Actor spoke first. “I will go in. I know the password.”

“I’ll go with him in case there’s more trouble,” added Garrison.

Terry shook her head. “I’ll go. I speak better Italian than you. Besides, you know the way out if it comes to that.”

“Teresa,” objected Actor calmly. “What if things get bad in there?”

Terry looked him in the eyes, face still. “I just killed two people, maybe three. And I’ve shown I can cover your back . . . and one good arm.”

Actor sucked in a cheek and turned to look for direction from Garrison. Craig did not like it, but there wasn’t much about this mission he did like. He nodded.

Terry stepped down from the truck and made room for Actor to open the door and slid off the seat to his feet, trying to protect the injured arm. Terry tried to get another look at it, but he shook his head.

“Later.”

The two cautiously entered the back of the store. They were in a good-sized room with partial carcasses hanging from hooks on a circular track from the ceiling. A young boy looked up from cutting up a pork hindquarter, huge knife in hand. He looked at them in alarm. Though used to having people coming through there with the underground, he was not used to having a large injured man and a woman dressed in pants. He held the knife up in a threatening manner. Terry calmly drew the pistol from her waistband but did not aim it at the boy.

“Is the owner in the front?” asked Actor in Italian.

The boy nodded.

“Get him.”

“And put that knife down,” added Terry also in Italian.

The boy laid the knife on the counter beside the meat and backed toward the door to the front of the shop. Terry and Actor exchanged looks. Terry held the gun out to the tall man who took it in his right hand. She noticed he was not using the left arm at all. She dropped her blade into her hand, clicked it open and partially hid it behind her.

It was a full minute before the door opened and a man wearing a stained white apron over his clothes entered. He was shorter than Actor, older, and balding with a bit of paunch suggesting he at least had enough to eat. He stood still taking in both of the people who were not who he had been expecting. The tall man, maybe, but not the girl. And they had obviously been in a fight.

Actor gave the password. The man gave the countersign. Tension eased minutely on both sides. 

“What happened?” asked the butcher. “You are not Garrison.”

“Garrison is in the truck,” relied Actor. “We were set upon by a group we assumed were another band of resistance.”

“What happened to them?”

“Dead except for one.”

“Gianni?”

“Dead.”

The butcher, Pietro, shook his head. “He was my wife’s nephew.”

“We are sorry,” said Terry in the same language, speaking for the first time.

“Will we still be able to use the safe house?” asked Actor.

Pietro nodded. “Let me contact Matteo. He will make sure all is in order and get some people to guard it. Do you need medical supplies?”

“Yes, if you have some to spare,” answered Terry. “Suture, bandages, and something to make a splint with.”

“I will see that it is brought to you,” assured the butcher.

The butcher went back to the front and gave a message to the boy to deliver to Matteo. Terry looked up at Actor.

“I’m going to tell Craig what’s going on. I’ll be right back.”

“I am fine, Teresa,” objected Actor. “You may stay with the Warden.”

“I’ll be right back,” was her firm response. It brought the expected exasperated sigh from the con man.

Actor watched her go back outside. Alone for the moment he took a deep breath. His left arm was slightly numb from the tightness of the handkerchief, but the wound itself hurt badly. He gazed down at it without moving the arm. The sleeve of his shirt was heavily stained with mostly dried blood, but the handkerchief and the area around the wound was still moist with bright blood. He had been sliced deeply. There had been no pulsation of blood from the wound, so he doubted any arteries were involved. Hopefully Teresa or the lieutenant would be able to manage the wound, so it was cleaner, closed and less painful. 

Terry returned in a couple minutes. She came to stand to his left. Her hand reached over and felt his fingers. He instinctively pulled away, sending a burst of burning pain through the laceration. 

“Easy,” whispered Terry. 

When he relaxed a little she bent down and examined his blood rimmed nail beds. The color was pink, and his fingers were only slightly cool. 

“Hopefully we can get that cleaned and stitched soon,” she said in a low voice.

He did not wish to admit that he hoped so too. Soon, began with another fifteen minute wait until word came back from Matteo. They were given directions to an abandoned house outside of town. The resistance leader and three of his men would meet them there. Actor led the way back to the truck. He looked questioningly at Teresa to see if she wished to ride in the front.

“I’m going in the back,” she said. “I want to keep an eye on Casino.” There wasn’t anything she could do for him, but she did not want to crowd Actor’s arm unnecessarily by three across the seat.

It took a half hour to reach the abode that would never pass as a villa in the hills behind Pesaro. Matteo stepped out of the house as the truck pulled to a stop. Garrison and Actor climbed down and went to speak with him. Chief was out the back of the truck and into the woods to keep a lookout on the rutted track they had come in on. 

The resistance man approached Actor and took in the bloody sleeve and arm tucked tight to his side. He shook his head.

“I am sorry,” he apologized. “We have not had trouble in a long time.”

“I am afraid we left a mess back there,” said Actor.

“It will be taken care of,” replied Matteo. “I have three men watching the area here. You should be safe. Come into the house. I have medical supplies for you, and I will show you where the safe is with the plans at Gestapo headquarters.”

Actor translated for Garrison. The officer nodded in understanding and went to the back of the truck. Goniff and Terry were standing behind the doors with guns drawn. Casino was on the floor of the truck.

“Come inside,” Garrison said. “It should be safer here.”

They went inside, surprised that the inside was much nicer looking than the outside. The furniture was decent and clean. This house had two bedrooms. Casino was placed on a narrow bed and left with Goniff watching him. Not asking permission, Terry joined her brother, the resistance man and Actor at the table where a map and papers were spread. The office with the safe was on the ground floor of the Gestapo headquarters. There were always people in the building, but fewer after midnight. The alarm system was adequate, but easily overridden. The problem would be opening the safe. They did not know if Casino would be able to.

Through Actor’s interpreting, Craig requested a German staff car and uniforms; officers for himself and Actor and lower rank for the others. Terry broke in and suggested an even larger jacket for the confidence man to accommodate the injured arm. She also requested clothes for herself that would make her appear to be a female partisan. Matteo nodded.

Good cover thought Actor. The girl was definitely improving. He explained what Terry had said to the lieutenant. Garrison nodded in approval. He then asked if explosives could be provided in the event they had to blow the safe. Matteo said they had access to some and would provide those too.

After the resistance leader left, Terry placed the box of medical supplies on the table and sorted through the contents. Actor looked over her shoulder while Garrison cleared the maps and papers off the table. There were dressings, suture, and materials for making a splint.

“We will see about Casino first,” said Actor.

“We will take care of your arm first,” said Terry.

“I said . . .”

“I heard you,” interrupted Terry. “I said we will take care of your arm first. You are bleeding and that wound is dirty. Casino doesn’t have anything open except some abrasions on his knuckles. He can wait.”

Actor did not like to be contradicted. He looked at Garrison for back up as he did not want to get in an argument with Teresa in front of her brother. Craig looked at him and turned his back, leaving Actor on his own and exasperated. 

“Teresa,” he said firmly.

“Don’t argue with me!” shot back the girl. “I’m not in the mood for it.” Craig was not getting off that easy either as she called him back. “Find me some clean cloths, a basin and some clean water.”

Now Craig turned back with umbrage at being ordered around by his younger sister. “Terry . . .”

“What I said to him!” she barked back.

Actor gave the Warden a smug look as if to say ‘see’. The look turned to a grin at the squinty eyed glare the lieutenant gave his sister behind her back. However, Craig went to get the things she asked for.

“Sit down,” said Terry in a gentler voice as she pulled a chair out.

Actor looked at her and slowly sat down. Terry began untying the handkerchief. It was sticky with blood. Once off, she watched the wound to see if it would start the heavy bleeding it had been doing earlier. The fresh blood stayed at an ooze. Actor knew as soon as water hit it the flow would start up again. He did not know how much blood he had lost, but it was a good amount.

The switchblade slid into the girl’s palm and was clicked open. Working carefully, she began cutting the sleeve from the cuff upward. Garrison came back with a basin of water and some towels. He set them on the table beside Terry and peered at the wound as it was unveiled. It did not look good.

“How deep?” asked Craig.

“Don’t know yet, but I would bet it will need two sets of sutures,” replied the girl. She looked up at her brother. “Is there any liquor in this place? He’s probably going to need some.”

“I will be fine,” denied the con man.

“You’ll have to be,” said Garrison. “I already looked. There isn’t any.”

Terry did not say anything to that. She frowned and wet a cloth. Craig stepped up beside her and wrapped a towel around the Italian’s forearm to catch the bloody water. As gently as possible, Terry began cleaning the wound. The blood started to run in a rivulet down the arm. She squeezed water into the cut to wash it out. 

Both Garrisons tried not to look at Actor’s face. They could see his jaws were clenched tight. Craig looked at the injury as Terry carefully pulled the edges apart to see the damage.

“Missed an artery,” said Garrison.

“Not by much,” said Terry. “Missed tendons by some miracle. You have feeling in all your fingers?” she asked Actor.

“Yes,” said the careful voice. “They move also.”

“Yeah, well don’t move them right now,” cautioned Terry.

Craig watched her examine the packets of suture and frown. 

“What?” he asked.

“No catgut,” she replied.

“In English,” said her brother.

“She does not have the dissolvable suture so she cannot apply inner stitches,” explained Actor.

Terry looked at the con man. “I can close the edges. We should be in England tomorrow night. Doc Kaiser can clean it better and stitch it correctly.”

“That will be fine, Teresa,” said Actor.

“I’m sorry. There isn’t any procaine either.”

Actor smiled wryly. “Aren’t you the one always asking me not to use it when I stitch you up?”

“Yes, but with me there is always some semblance of a choice.”

“Just do it, please,” he said, wanting it over as soon as possible.

Garrison stayed close, watching the procedure and feeling empathy for the pain the con man must have. The only sign of pain was the clenching of the man’s teeth. Terry sprinkled sulfa over the sutures and bandaged the arm.

“Thank you,” said Actor. “It feels much better.”

Garrison did not believe that one for a minute. He started picking up the dirty rags and trash. The trash would be burned in the fireplace and the rags washed out. Actor stood up and unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing, removing it the rest of the way. 

Garrison took that to the fireplace also. Best not to leave evidence of injuries.

Actor looked at the girl. “We had better see what we can do for Casino.”

Terry did not think the injured con man could or should do much for Casino other than supervise. She picked up the splint supplies and followed Actor into the bedroom. 

Actor opened one of the duffle bags and retrieved a clean, intact, shirt. Terry helped him with the sleeve on the injured arm.

“Doin’ okay there, Actor?” asked Goniff in concern.

“It is better now,” replied the Italian.

Goniff looked at Terry behind the man’s back and rolled his eyes. He didn’t believe the con man either.

“You get Beautiful fixed up?” said a voice from the bed.

“Yes,” answered Terry. “Beautiful is beautiful again. Now it’s your turn.”

“What are you gonna do?” asked Casino warily.

“Don’t know yet,” said Terry. “It’s up to Actor and what he thinks we need to do.”

The con man took Goniff’s chair by the bed and carefully picked up Casino’s hand. The safecracker grimaced in pain. Actor studied the swelling and deformity with Terry leaning over his shoulder to watch. The alignment was not right. It wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t too good either.

“We need to see if we can correct that angle a little more and splint it,” was the con man’s verdict.

“An’ how are you figuring on doin’ that?” asked Casino. He trusted Actor, but the dang wrist was really painful and straightening it out didn’t sound any too comfortable.

“We will have to pull slowly on your hand and stretch the joint so it will move back into place. Then we will apply the splint.”

“Terrific.” He thought of something. “Am I gonna be able to get my thumb and fingers together?”

Actor frowned. “I can leave you a little leeway with the thumb and fingers, but it will be best to not move them as much as possible.”

Casino gave him a look. “I gotta be able to work the dial on the safe. Yuh know the Warden is gonna go after those papers.”

“Yes,” agreed Actor. 

Nothing turned the lieutenant away from an objective. And that included two injured men. It no longer made any of the men angry. They had come to realize the importance of the missions and what the consequences would be to the Allies and the people under Hitler’s reign if they bailed out on a mission. It just did not make things any easier.

Terry took a stand by Casino’s shoulder and watched Actor pick up the safecracker’s hand in his left one and began a slow pull. Casino swore. Garrison came to stand on the other side of the bed and watched the three of them. Goniff scooted out of the room.

Actor tried to pull harder, finding he had little strength in the injured arm. His mouth made a tight line and he tried again to pull. The muscles in his arm bulged.

“Actor, stop it!” ordered Terry. “You’re going to pop those stitches.”

The Italian glared at her. “And how do you suggest I keep traction on his wrist while I set the bone?” he asked sarcastically.

“Move.” She pushed him out of the way and stepped in to take the safecracker’s hand in hers.

“Why don’t you let me do that,” said Craig.

“Because I kind of know where Actor is going to go with this, and you don’t know how to manipulate the hand.” Terry looked at her brother. “What you can do is stand at Casino’s shoulder and get a good grip on his forearm. Keep a slight pull on it. At the very least hold it steady.”

“Will you guys quit yer fightin’ an’ just do it?” yelled Casino.

“We are,” Terry shot back.

Actor muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath but allowed the girl to maintain the traction on the hand while Garrison got in position and got a tight grip on the forearm. The con man nodded to the two Garrisons and began to feel, squeeze and try to move the displaced bones with his right hand. Casino let loose with a string of curses that would have made a longshoreman proud. After a bit more manipulation with Terry’s help in turning the joint to aid him, Actor nodded in satisfaction.

“It better be in place,” growled Casino.

“It is in as correct alignment as I can do without xrays,” said the con man.

“Take his hand,” said Terry.

“I need to splint it,” objected Actor irritatedly.

Terry shook her head. “I have two good hands. You don’t.”

Actor wanted to argue with her. With a disgruntled humph, he switched places with the girl. As he watched her, he had to admit she knew what she was doing, and probably better than he. But then she undoubtedly had more practice than he had.   
When the wrist was splinted, the Italian left the room and sat down in one of the hard chairs to catch his breath. Setting Casino’s wrist had not been easy, made worse by his only having one hand that worked with any strength. Goniff went back in the bedroom to help the Warden get Casino in a more comfortable position.

Actor looked up at the approach of Teresa. Her eyebrows were knotted together, and a frown was on her face. Now what, thought Actor wearily. He said nothing while she bent to examine the dressing on his left upper arm. She did not touch him.  
“I’m sorry,” Terry said quietly. “I’ve been pushy with you today. I don’t mean to be. You’re hurt. Casino’s hurt. Goniff is a little scuffed up. Chief, Craig and I are the only uninjured ones. And I’m not so sure about Chief. I know you hate not being in control any more than Craig does. Just, I don’t want you hurting yourself any more than necessary. We need you. And I’m pretty capable now.”

Actor looked at her silently for a moment before replying to that long statement. “I know, Teresa. And I understand. You are upset about killing those men. Watch people. If someone is upset or frustrated and does not know how to deal with it, they vent their anger against the ones they are closest to. It is safe for them. And you are correct. I hate not being in control and you are very capable. And so far, you have been right in your actions.”

A tiny grin tickled the girl’s mouth. “Doesn’t mean you have to like it though.”

“True, cara.”

“You’re right about my being upset over killing three people. But I still should not take it out on you. And I’m sorry.” Terry leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. “I’m going to talk to Craig, and I’ll see if I can find something to use as a sling for you.”

Terry went back into the bedroom. Garrison looked at her, unhappy when she motioned him to a far corner with a jerk of her head. They leaned in close to each other and spoke in whispers.

“Craig, how do you expect us to crack that safe?” asked his sister. “Casino can’t manage with that hand.”

“Then we’ll blow it,” said Garrison stubbornly.

“Blow it?” hissed Terry in disbelief. “Blow it how? Casino’s our demolitions expert too. He can’t blow it.” She shook her head. “Come on, Craig. Give it up. This mission is over. You have two key members injured.”

Craig glared at her. “We have a mission and we’re going to complete it.”

Terry glared back at him. “Sure, Brother. Oh, would you like me to place a call to Adolf? Maybe he’d like to join us, and you can off him while you’re at it.”

“That’s enough, Terry!” said Garrison forcefully aloud.

Shaking her head, Terry walked away and joined Goniff. Garrison went out the door to the main room.

“Forget it, Love,” said the Cockney. “Now you know what we go through. He’ll find a way and we’ll do it.”

“Or die trying,” muttered the girl.

“Now that’s my line,” said Goniff.

Terry sank to sit on her heels beside the safecracker.

“How are you doing?” asked the girl with a smile.

“It’s a little better now,” replied Casino. He looked down at the bandaged appendage. “What’s the Warden doin’ about the mission?”

Terry shrugged. “Don’t know yet. Craig says if we can’t open it we’ll blow it.”

“Oh great. You and the Warden with explosives. We’re screwed. I can’t open a safe like this,” grumbled the usually irritable man.

“Can one of us?” asked Terry dubiously.

“I don’t know. Warden gave up on the easy one last time. I don’t even know what kinda safe this is.”

“Think you can make it in with us?” asked the girl.

“Probably,” said the safecracker. “I’ve been hit in the head harder than this before. I can handle it.”

“Oh, routinely bash your head into a stone wall?”

Casino eyed her. “Sure, Babe, all the time. It’s called your brother.”

Terry laughed. “Okay, I believe you.” She brushed the stubborn curl back from his forehead. “Get some rest. It’s going to be a long night.” She turned to Goniff. “Can you sit with him for a while longer?”

“O’ course, Love.”

GGG

Terry had come to stand beside Actor and her brother when the door opened, and Chief slipped in.

“Where have you been?” asked Garrison.

“Just makin’ sure everything is safe.”

“Matteo has three men out there to guard the place,” said Craig.

“Met ‘em.” Chief took a seat at the table. “They’re okay.” He took in Actor’s arm. “So, what’s the plan, Warden? We goin’ back to England?”

“No.”

Chief shook his head. “Didn’t think so.”

“Goniff,” called the lieutenant. “Come on out here.”

The pickpocket joined them.

“Have a plan, Warden?” he asked.

Garrison nodded. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. Actor and I will be SS officers. We captured two resistance people and wish to interrogate them ourselves. The resistance people will be Terry and Casino. It will explain the shape Casino is in. Goniff will be our guard. Chief will be wheelman. We will be given a room to use. When the guards are gone, we get into the office with the safe. If Casino can’t open it, we’ll have to come up with a noisy diversion and I’ll blow the safe.”

Nothing was said, but Chief and Goniff went very still. Terry and Actor had heard this part before, so it was nothing new for them. Garrison looked around the table, expecting more objections. Casino wasn’t there so that avenue was closed.

Garrison continued. “If we can crack the safe, we take pictures of the plans and get out the window. If we have to blow it, we take the plans. That’s only as a last resort.” He looked at his sister. “Can you make yourself look like you’ve been in a fight?”

“We can try,” said Terry exchanging a look with Actor.

“Get at it,” said her brother. Craig turned to Chief. “Have a look at the map. We’ll leave town and head south.”

Terry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll get the makeup kit.”

She and Actor spent some time trying to get the make up to pass inspection. Unable to adequately apply it himself, the con man had to rely on instructing Terry to do it. Finally, Terry shook her head. 

“It’s not realistic enough,” she complained.

“You will just have to keep your head down,” instructed Actor.

Clothes were changed, plan was reviewed yet again, and duffle bags were loaded into the trunk of the staff car.

Garrison looked at his group. Terry and Casino, for the most part, appeared to be injured partisan captives. The rest looked like SS. It would have to do.

“Okay, let’s get going,” he said in his military tone of voice.


	4. Chapter 4

Actor opened the door to Gestapo headquarters for Garrison who was the senior officer. Terry and Casino were prodded with the end of Goniff’s rifle to enter the building. Actor followed them and moved around to catch up with Garrison.  
There were three soldiers in the main hall. Too many for comfort thought the Italian. He stopped beside Garrison in front of a desk with a Leutnant who stood and saluted.

“I am Standartenführer Braun,” said Garrison in crisp German. He nodded toward Actor. “My aide Sturmbannführer Lange. Our car broke down. My driver is trying to fix it. In the meantime, we have two partisan prisoners I wish to interrogate. You will direct us to a room where we may do this.”

The Leutnant did not flinch. “Papiere, bitte.”

Garrison gave him a withering look that had little effect on the man. After waiting a short time, he produced the forged papers that had been provided by the resistance. The papers were scanned and returned. Turning, the Leutnant instructed a guard to take them to a room down the back hall. The five followed the guard. A door at the far end of the back hall was held open for them to enter. It was two doors past the room with the safe.

Goniff shut the door behind them and listened. There were no footsteps leading away which meant the guard had stayed. The Englishman shook his head at Garrison and motioned the man was still there.

“Slap me,” whispered Terry.

Without any hesitation, Garrison backhanded the girl across the face with a resounding crack. It instantly grabbed the attention of the other men. Immediately Terry screeched in outrage and swore violently in Italian at her brother, maligning his parentage and telling him what he could do with a part of him and where on his person he could do it. Even Casino understood that. For good measure, Craig slapped her again and told her in German to answer him. He got a glare from the girl for the second blow. It had the hoped for response and the guard could be heard by Goniff walking back down the hall. He nodded at Garrison.

Actor looked around the room at the objects atop a plain metal desk. He picked up a ruler and brought it down sharply on the desk. Casino swore loudly in Italian as if reacting to the blow.

Terry shook her head. In a very low voice she said, “Your mother should wash your mouth out with soap for that one.”

“Quiet!” ordered Garrison in an equally low voice.

Goniff peeked out the door. The hall was empty. He nodded back at the Warden.

“All of you stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll check out the other office.”

“Can you get in if it’s locked?” asked Terry, rubbing her cheek with the back of her hand.

“Of course,” replied her brother. “Casino.”

The cracksman spit the spring steel pick out of his mouth and wiped it hastily on his trousers before handing it to Garrison. Craig slipped into the hall and down to the office door. It was locked, but he was able to pick it open quickly. He stepped inside and made sure it was secure. Checking to make sure the hall was empty; he beckoned to Goniff for him and others to come.

One by one they scooted down the hall and into the office. Door secured, Garrison turned a desk light on. They looked around the richly furnished room. 

Casino immediately headed for a portrait of Hitler and pulled it away from the wall with his left hand. Predictably, the safe was there. Taking his arm out of the sling, the safecracker placed his ear against the safe door and attempted to turn the dial with his splinted hand. Any movement of the thumb sent excruciating pain into the wrist. He grimaced but kept trying. Finally, he shook his head and stepped back.

“Sorry, Warden,” he whispered.

Craig nodded. “We’ll have to blow it.”

“And what are we going to use for a diversion to cover that noise?” asked Actor.

Terry looked at her brother. “Use a small charge and we see how loud I can scream?”

Casino shrugged. “It’s a small safe. Maybe. You better scream real loud, Sister.”

Garrison began removing plastic explosive, detonator and fuse from different pockets. Casino went over to talk him through setting up a small explosion.

Terry walked over to the safe. It looked a lot like the one in Craig’s office. She put her ear against the door and slowly worked the dial like she had been taught, with her eyes closed. She heard the first tumbler fall into place. Cautiously, she worked the dial back until she heard the second tumbler. Chewing on her lower lip in concentration, she went for the third one and found it. Goniff was staring at her. Terry flexed her fingers before grasping the handle and pulling it down. The door swung open.

“Yes!” she hissed in exuberant surprise.

Garrison, Casino and Actor stared at her. Terry reached inside and pulled out a stack of folded papers. 

“Didn’t I say she had the fingers for it?” said Casino proudly.

Garrison quickly returned the explosive materials to his pockets. A microfilm camera was removed from Actor’s pocket along with the light bulb. The con man began changing out the light. Garrison took the papers from Terry and quickly scanned them until he found the plans for a defense line. He set the remaining papers aside and opened the ones of the plans.

Terry looked in the safe at the stack of money that was on the shelf where the papers had been. Too bad they couldn’t take it.

Garrison had barely started to take the first picture when Goniff snapped his fingers. The light was turned out and everyone went still. Goniff quickly turned the lock on the outer door. Footsteps went past in the hall and they heard a door open. An alarm was shouted in German and the keys were called for.

“Out the window,” said Garrison.

Terry reached into the safe and stuffed the money into her shirt. Her brother stuffed the papers into his. They did not have time to bypass the alarm so when the window opened, the alarm screamed. They got Casino out and the rest of them barreled out the window and took off down the alley. Their staff car appeared on the street at the end of the alley and Chief got the doors open before getting back behind the wheel. Goniff and Craig got in the front and Terry got in the middle in the back between the two injured men. Chief immediately made a u-turn and took off. Shots were fired at them from the alley, but the back fender was the only thing hit.

“Well, that went great,” said Casino sarcastically. His wrist hurt and his head was pounding from the exertion.

“You okay?” asked Terry.

“Yeah, I guess so,” the cracksman grumbled.

“Actor, you okay?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Chief zigzagged through the town. He knew it was too far to the south edge of the small city and was not sure what he would find when he got there but doubted it would be good. And he was right. There was a roadblock. He stopped two blocks before it.

“Go west,” ordered Garrison.

The wheelman shot down the first side street. Actor watched out the back window. A military vehicle with a machine gun mounted on the back turned the corner after them.

“Chief . . .”

“I see it.”

He zigged and zagged down narrow streets and alleys. The vehicle could not follow down some of the streets and the others in the big car wondered how the Indian kept the vehicle from getting stuck between two buildings. No matter which way he went, Chief could not lose the German gun car. Finally, he came to the edge of town and another road block. Turning hard to the right, he drove up another street. They came to a train depot with multiple tracks.

“Hold on,” said Chief. “It’s gonna be rough.”

He turned hard left onto a set of tracks. One set of wheels was on the outside of the tracks and the other set of wheels was between them. Rough was putting it mildly as he tore along the tracks, the wheels bouncing on the ties.

“Jeez!” exclaimed Casino as his head was jarred. It felt like his brains were going to explode.

Two German gun cars were chasing them now but trying to stay outside the tracks. Ahead, Chief saw a tunnel. They had no idea if a train was coming or not.

“Warden?” asked the Indian.

“Take it.”

“Oh bloody ‘ell,” said Goniff. “We’re going to get squashed by a train.” He fervently wished he wasn’t in the front seat to see this.

Chief had been running without lights until now. He had to turn them on to see where he was going. Actor continued to watch out the back window.

“They are not following,” he said.

“Great. Either they gave up, or they know a train’s coming,” grumbled Casino.

“Well,” said Garrison. “If you see a light at the end of the tunnel you know it’s a train.”

“Har, har, Warden,” griped the safecracker. “Hey, can’t you get off the tracks?”

“Where do yuh want me tuh go?” asked Chief. “Into a wall?”

“Knock it off. Both of you,” ordered the lieutenant. “You’re doing fine, Chief.”

Ahead, the darkness changed to a lighter shade and they came out of the tunnel. The tracks were on a built-up rail bed with a drop off on each side. It was just starting to level out when a light shone coming around a curve. A steam whistle rent the air along with a loud screech as the engineer laid on the brakes. Chief pulled off the tracks and went down the embankment at an angle, just missing the front of the engine. Somehow, he managed to keep the car upright and took it along a trace that followed the track at the bottom of the embankment. He followed it as it leveled out and turned north when they came to a crossing. 

“Any idea where we’re going?” asked Chief.

“Not a clue,” admitted Garrison.

Squeezed between the lieutenant and Chief, Goniff opened one eye, saw it was safe, and opened both of them. 

“Well at least Sister wasn’t drivin’,” said Casino with exaggerated relief.

Terry glared at him. “If you weren’t already hurt, I’d hurt you for that,” she said, not meaning it.

“Pickup point is back in the other direction,” said Chief.

“Yes, and that would take us back to where they’re looking for us,” said Garrison. “When that train gets to the depot, the engineer is going to tell the Germans we came in this direction. If we go back, we’re apt to run right into them.”

“So how are you planning on getting us out of here, Warden,” asked Actor.

“For now, we’ll head north,” said Garrison decisively. “If we have to, we’ll head to La Speza.”

“That’s clear across Italy!” objected Terry.

“You have a better plan?” he asked her.

“Not yet.”

“Well, good. You work on it.”

They slowly made their way north. Chief had turned the headlights off, so he had to drive slower through dark woods. The trace ended at an east-west dirt road. La Speza was northwest, so he turned west. 

“Craig, you know any contacts in Firenze?” asked Terry.

“No,” replied her brother.

“Scratch that idea,” she said.

“Keep trying,” said Garrison calmly. If he could keep her occupied, she would be quiet.

Chief kept to the dirt roads and tried to maintain either a west or north direction. The sun had come up and the fuel gauge was close to empty. Garrison was studying the map, trying to find where they were. He only had an idea of the general vicinity. 

Casino shifted to ease his back and glanced over at Terry, noticing her bulging belly for the first time. “Hey Babe, what’d you do, get knocked up while you were in there?”

“Casino,” growled Garrison.

Terry opened a button and pulled out a bundle of cash. 

“You got it!” he exclaimed in delight. 

“Of course, I got it,” she replied. 

The safecracker took it and whistled at the denomination of the bills. Actor wiggled his fingers at her. She pulled out another bundle and handed it to him.

“Very good, Teresa,” he said approvingly.

“Terrific,” came an annoyed mutter from the front seat.

“Oh, settle down, Brother,” said Terry gleefully. “You gotta lighten up.”

Casino patted her stomach. “I wanna be there when you deliver this, Babe.”

“Casino!” growled Garrison a second time.

Terry plucked the bundle of cash from Casino and swatted her brother on the head with it. He turned, squashing Goniff, who yelped, and glared at his sister. She gave him a teasing look. Actor was trying hard to stifle a grin.

“You were taking the papers so there wasn’t any reason to not take the money,” said the girl.

“You could have gotten caught taking the time to get that,” admonished Craig. “Then we would have had to go back to try and get you.”

“I didn’t, you didn’t, we’re here and so is all this,” she brushed him off.

The car picked that moment to sputter, jerk and die. Chief let it roll off the side of the road. 

“Now what?” demanded Casino.

“Now we walk,” said Garrison.

They all got out. Terry being the lightest of the group was elected to steer as Garrison, Chief and Goniff pushed the vehicle into the woods and out of sight from the road. Satisfied it would not be easily spotted, they stopped.

Chief’s head suddenly jerked to the side, listening. “Car comin’!” he said urgently.

“Get off the road!” called Garrison.

Actor grabbed Casino’s good arm and helped him hurry into the woods and behind some bushes. The others scattered and hid behind bushes, trees, and large rocks. A German troop truck and an armored car drove slowly past from the opposite direction. They all held their breaths hoping the soldiers weren’t vigilant enough to look back and see the lines of flattened grass where the car had left the road. The vehicles kept on going and disappeared in the direction they had come from. Cautiously everyone rose and gathered around Garrison.

“That lets out walkin’ down the road,” remarked Chief.

“So now where do we go?” asked Goniff. “Someplace wif food I ‘ope.”

“There’s a town about 15 miles from here,” said Craig. At the groans of the others, he added, “Should cut off about five miles if we angle through the woods.”

Terry opened the back of the car and retrieved the duffle bags. Opening one, she pulled out a shirt that belonged to her and ripped it so it could be used as a sling. Actor eyed the garment and the woman as she approached. 

“I will be fine,” he objected.

The girl looked up at him with frustration. “Ten miles is a long walk with that arm dangling. Give it some support.”

He nodded and bent his head so she could tie the ends behind his neck.

“Could be worse,” she said in a low voice. “It could have been one of my frilly ones.”

“Oh, I appreciate that so much, Teresa. Very considerate of you.”

Terry shook her head and picked up one of the duffle bags. Garrison walked over and picked up the other one. He stopped beside the con man.

“Come on, you grumpy old man,” he said quietly so only his sister could hear.

Actor glared at him. Secretly, he had to admit the arm felt better in the makeshift sling.

Even with Goniff helping Casino, the going was slow. It was early afternoon before they reached the outskirts of the town. Garrison hoped they could get a vehicle and get back on the road.

Chief slipped through the woods, leaving the others to wait for him. When he came back the news wasn’t good.

“Couldn’t get a car or a truck,” said the scout. “Place is swarmin’ with Krauts.”

Garrison and Actor had studied the map while the others rested. They were moving into the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. The going would become slower and more difficult. Garrison decided to skirt around San Marino. The tiny sovereign country would be well guarded and difficult to access. It was still hill country, but maybe not as rugged as what they would get into if they did head toward Florence. Actor was in agreement with him. It might be a tiny bit easier for Casino to navigate. The two leaders decided to aim for Forli and then cut across to La Spezia. Craig called Chief over and Goniff took the watch while the scout was shown the map and given the plan.

Rising somewhat reluctantly to his feet, Casino accepted some help from Goniff. Chief took the point, followed by the two men. Garrison came next, followed by his sister, and Actor took up the rear. As they walked along, Craig lagged back by Terry.

“How’s Casino doing?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know how much farther he can go,” replied the girl just as quietly. “The hand is still doing okay. It’s the concussion. I know he is dizzy and bad headaches. I’m surprised he isn’t puking.”

“What about Actor?”

Terry shook her head. “He won’t let me check the wound. Says it’s all right.” She sucked in a cheek. “He’s awfully grumpy for him. I’m wondering just how much that arm is bothering him. Wish we had penicillin. I’m not sure sulfa is going to do it.”

Her assessments did not ease Garrison’s mind or conscience. He did not like dragging the two injured men along the rough trail. There was nothing to be done about it but keep going. He felt a little better when Terry dropped back to walk closer to the confidence man. He kept an eye on the two in front of him.

The going became rougher with steeper hills and dips and more rocks. Afternoon shadows were creeping across from the west and they were still far from Forli. Garrison called for a break and pulled Chief aside. After a brief conversation, the Indian disappeared into the woods. A half hour later Chief suddenly and silently appeared at Garrison’s elbow. The officer had finally learned to expect not hearing his approach and thus not show he was startled. Instead Craig looked at his scout, waiting only a second for a response.

“Found a cave. About a mile from here,” said the Indian.

“Dry?” asked Terry from her position kneeling beside Casino on the ground.

Chief shook his head. “Nope. But it goes back a ways. We could have a fire without bein’ seen.”

“Okay,” said Garrison, “let’s go.”

It was a slow scramble over rocks and loose gravel to get to the cave that was hidden halfway up an escarpment. The farther back they moved into the cave, the damper it became. Water dripped down limestone walls. Chief and Goniff went back out to get wood for a fire and branches to make a pallet for the safecracker. Goniff set to helping Garrison start some small fires to try offsetting the damp chill of the place while Chief efficiently made up a pallet for Casino to lie on. The cracksman did not object at all to the special treatment. Chief automatically took first watch.

He found a small boulder behind some trees that gave him a view of the canyon they were in but shielded him from view. This wasn’t going well at all. Damn missions were gettin’ more and more difficult. They hadn’t had an ‘easy’ one in a long time now. Satisfied no one was trailing them, he moved off to set some snares. Maybe he could catch a couple rabbits for them to eat.

Terry gave a shiver in the cold interior of the dripping limestone cave. She checked Casino’s fingers and found them warm and not too overly swollen. He did not wake up to her touch. 

“Keep him awake?” she asked the man sitting on his heels beside her.

“No, allow him to rest.”

A shoulder barely brushed against her causing her to look at Actor with concern. His eyes were closed and he was trying to hold his balance. His head jerked back at the touch of her fingers against his cheek, but not before she felt the heat of his skin, so unexpected in their present surroundings.

“Actor?” Terry asked.

“I’m fine,” he said firmly.

“You’ve been around Craig to long,” she said. “Let me see that arm.”

“It is fine, Teresa,” he said tersely.

“Then you won’t mind my looking at it will you?” she said just as firmly.

They locked eyes. Actor knew she would not give up. Just as he knew what she would find. Too tired to object, he pushed the jacket back off of the injured arm and watched as the woman carefully removed the sling and unwrapped the dressing. Her mouth pinched together at the swelling and red streaks around the sutured knife wound. 

“Craig, you need to see this,” she said.

“In a minute,” replied her brother concentrating on getting one of the fires started.

“Now!”

That not only got the Lieutenant’s attention, but that of Goniff. Garrison let the Englishman take over what he was doing and strode over to his sister and his other two men. He sat on his heels and looked at the wound on his second’s arm.

“For God’s sake, Actor, why didn’t you say something?” he demanded in irritation.

“And what would you have done?” shot back the Italian, just as irritably. “Stop the Germans and ask them to take care of it before we moved on?”

“He’s feverish too,” added Terry.

Garrison laid a hand on the con man’s lower arm, noting the heat with concern. Actor jerked his arm away and grimaced painfully at the movement.

“I’ll open up one of those sutures to let it drain,” said the girl.

“I am fine,” insisted Actor. They had enough problems without him being put out of commission.

“You’re not fine and quit saying you are,” shot back Terry.

As Actor opened his mouth with a retort, Garrison butted in quicker. “Don’t argue with her. I’m backing her on this one.” He stood and walked back to the fire that Goniff was trying to get started.

The Italian sat on his heels and listened to the snick of Teresa’s shiv. He concentrated on not showing any signs of pain when she worked the tip of the blade under one of the middle sutures and cut it. Purulent drainage welled out of the opening. Actor watched the girl get the first aid pack from one of the duffle bags and bring over some gauze and a packet of sulfa. She cleaned the wound, but as gentle as she tried to be, it still hurt badly. He did not even watch as she sprinkled sulfa on the wound and the gauze pads. Carefully she tied it back up and put the sling on again.

Goniff shot a quick glance at the con man. “Warden,” he whispered. “You need a pallet for ‘im too.”

Garrison nodded. He went to work on building a second fire closer to the two men while Goniff slipped out of the cave. Craig had the fire going by the time the pickpocket returned with more pine branches. Garrison watched as Terry and Goniff made a pallet. He wondered if he would have to step in and make the con man rest, but Actor settled down without a word.

Casino awakened to a pain in his head that was almost matched by the pain in his wrist. He glanced around to see Terry sitting with her back against a dry section of limestone wall a little way beyond his feet. To his left was the long form of Actor laying on another pallet of pine branches, sleeping restlessly.

“What happened to Beautiful?” the safecracker asked the girl.

“Arm’s infected. He’s sick.” The girl was too tired to get up. “You okay?”

“I’ll live.”

“I hope so.”

Casino frowned. “If he’s down and I’m down, how are we gonna get outta here?”

Terry shook her head. “Maybe if we can get both of you to Forli we can get some wheels and hightail it for the coast.”

“Aren’t we on the wrong side of the country?”

Terry nodded. “What is it you say?” she asked with a small smile. “If it was easy, they wouldn’t send us?”

“Yeah. But just once I’d like to have an easy one.”

“So would I.”

Casino sniffed. “What’s that I smell?”

“Chief caught a couple rabbits.”

“Get me some of that before the Limey eats it all.”

Terry grinned. “It isn’t done yet.”

When the rabbits were cooked, Terry got a couple quarters and brought them back to the injured men. Casino sat up and took one by the leg and began eating it. Actor followed suit. He looked at the safecracker tearing into the meat with gusto and gave a mental shake of his head. So uncouth. The Italian took a small bite and found it delicious. Before long, his empty stomach had him eating it in much the same fashion as Casino.

Terry sat on her heels next to her brother and took a smaller piece of rabbit. She picked at the meat, hungry and at the same time no appetite. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Garrison in a low voice.

“I’m worried,” admitted the girl. “It’s a long way to Forli. I don’t know if either of them can make it in a day.”

“I know,” said Craig. “We’ll just have to take it as it comes and hope they don’t get worse.”

“And what if we run into the same thing in Forli as we did at that town we passed?”

Garrison shook his head. “Forli is a lot larger. We should be able to find wheels.” 

He knew their identity papers would be of no use to them. But this wouldn’t be the first time they bluffed their way through check points and wouldn’t be their last. He was sure his sister knew that too.

Goniff had eaten and gone out to relieve Chief. The Indian came in and sat cross-legged on the ground by the fire. Garrison held a stick with the remains of a carcass on it and Chief ripped a hunk off. 

“How much farther you figure, Warden?” he asked.

“Normally we could make it in another day,” said Garrison.

“Those two ain’t normal right now,” observed the Indian, taking a bite of meat.

“No,” agreed the lieutenant. “We’ll just have to go as far as possible and hope we can find a place to hole up for tomorrow night.”

Chief nodded and concentrated on his meal. He glanced up at Terry as the girl rose to her feet. She walked over to the duffle bags, picked up one and went back to the two men on the pallets. Both had laid down again. She put the duffle bag against the wall between the men and sat down with her back against it. Chief shook his head.

“She worries about us too much,” he said.

“That’s Terry,” replied Craig. “She’s always been the worrier of the family.”

The two men finished eating in silence. Chief curled up on the ground close to the fire and went right to sleep. Garrison rarely slept on missions and this one was no exception. He kept both fires going to try to keep the chill down to a minimum in the damp interior.

On one trip to the other fire, he stopped and looked down at his sister. Terry had slid down and was on her back with her head on the duffle bag, asleep. Her left hand was resting on Actor’s good arm and her right was on Casino’s. Both men were asleep. Good thing, Craig thought. Tomorrow was not going to be an easy walk for any of them.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as it was light enough to see where they were walking, the group was on the move again. The trail was narrow, and rock strewn with dips and rises. It made the going rough for Casino. Actor managed to keep up, and did not complain, but Garrison knew his second was not doing well. Casino had Goniff to help him. Actor would not accept Terry’s assistance, so Garrison was forced to put her behind them, watching their backs, while he stayed close to the con man.

Craig called for frequent rest stops so the two injured could rest and carry on for the next lap. At one of the stops, Terry limped up from her position behind the group.

“What happened to you?” asked Garrison.

“Twisted my ankle on a rock,” said Terry. “It’s walking out. I’ll be fine. The boot saved it.” She lowered herself to a large rock beside her brother and looked around. Her voice lowered to just above a whisper. “Casino’s too quiet for him. And Actor looks like crap.”

“I know,” said Garrison. 

“A couple horses would help,” mused the girl.

“Right now, I’d be happy with a couple of jackasses.”

“I’ll call Cinder from the next town we stop at and have her send some over from home.”

Craig turned to look at his sister’s grin and shook his head. He gave them another five minutes of down time and got them going again in the same order as before. It was close to noon when they reached a road. They crossed it and stopped behind some trees and boulders on the other side.

“Any towns around here?” asked Chief.

“I think there’s a small village to the northeast,” said Garrison.

“Want me to go check it out, Warden?” asked the scout.

Whatever answer Garrison was about to give was curtailed by creaking sounds he and the Indian heard at the same time.

“Thanks,” said Garrison. “Move back.”

They all hurried farther away from the road, except for Craig and Chief. The two hid from sight and watched. Armored cars and a troop carrier rolled slowly down the road. They were followed by a line of Panzers.”

Garrison shook his head and motioned Chief to move farther back. They crouched and moved from one bit of cover to another until they caught up with the others. Goniff was with the injured men and Terry was on lookout.

“I trust those were not American tanks,” said Actor archly, knowing an American tank would not be found here.

“Not even Italian,” said Garrison. “We keep going.”

“Figures,” grumbled Casino.

The terrain changed as they proceeded on to the northeast. It was still hilly and mountainous for the most part, but there were small flat valleys in between craggy escarps. It looked like it had been farmed at one time. There were no people visible. What could have passed for houses had been burned or torn to the ground, courtesy of Herr Hitler. On one of their rest stops, Goniff slipped off to scavenge. When he returned, all he had were a few scraggly carrots and a baseball-sized wormy cabbage.   
By mid afternoon, they reached larger stretches of empty farmland. Though it would have made easier walking for the men, Garrison did not like the openness and lack of cover. So, they continued on along the canyons between the tufo mountains.  
Garrison studied the map while the others took a breather. The green trees grew thickly and kept them in shade but stopped any breeze from penetrating to where the group was. The track they were following was barely wide enough for one person and uneven with rocks. Casino was struggling to keep going. At some point they would have to make a litter and carry the safecracker. Only where would they carry him to? And Actor did not look too healthy right now either. Craig’s attention went back to the map.

“Know where we are, Warden?” asked Casino from his perch on a rock, leaning against a tree.

Craig didn’t answer right away.

“Italy, Mate,” answered Goniff.

“Yeah?” retorted the safecracker. “Where in Italy?”

“The wrong side,” admitted Garrison.

Chief glanced at the Lieutenant. “How far to the right side?”

“A very long way,” replied Actor.

Goniff groaned. “An’ I suppose we’re goin’ to walk there. On this trail.”

Garrison shook his head. He turned to his second. “You familiar with this area?”

Actor shook his head. “Not very populated with wealthy people, I’m afraid.”

That left one other person who was sitting by herself, too silent. Craig hated to ask her. He still had not become used to the idea his sister got around Europe almost as much as he did.

“Terry?”

“What?”

“You ever been here?” asked Garrison.

“Nope.” 

Before he could feel some kind of relief that she hadn’t been everywhere, she got up and walked stiffly over to him. Her hand came out and he placed the map in it. Craig watched as she studied the map with a frown.

“We about here?” she asked pointing to a spot on the paper with a dirty finger.

“That’s my guess,” he replied.

Terry looked up, eyes fixing on their scout. “Chief? Think it’s going to rain?”

The Indian looked back at her and nodded. “Feels like. Maybe late this afternoon.”

The girl motioned him to come over to them. Actor, curious, carefully levered himself up and joined them. The four bent heads over the map. Terry pointed to a place on it.

“So, we’re about here,’ she said. “Chief, have we passed any paths to the north that I missed?”

“No.”

“Okay,” she nodded in satisfaction. “We head north where this trail takes off to the right. It’s about five miles to a dry place we can hole up. It’s in a canyon and it’s isolated.”

“This whole ruddy place is isolated,” grumbled Goniff. He was ignored.

“What is it? Caves?” asked Garrison.

“Not exactly,” hedged Terry.

“What exactly is it?” Garrison really did not feel like playing games with his sister.

“It’s an eremo,” she replied.

“And what’s that?” It was like pulling teeth to get an answer from her.

Terry frowned. “It’s an eremo. A uh –uh.”

“Hermitage,” Actor supplied the word she was looking for.

Chief looked at the tall man. “What’s that?”

“A religious retreat,” answered the con man.

“Casino brightened at that. “These monks make cognac too?”

“Don’t think so,” chuckled Terry. “It’s been abandoned since the sixteen or seventeen hundreds.”

“So is it safe?” asked Garrison.

“Fairly.”

“Fairly . . .”

“It’s occupied,” said the girl.

Garrison gave her a frustrated look. “Occupied by who?” Actor did not bother to correct him.

“Resistance.”

Garrison wanted more. “So, if you’ve never been here, how do you know?”

“Emilio and one of his lieutenants taught me,” she said quietly.

Craig stared at her in disbelief. “Frazini?” Terry nodded. “You’ve been with Frazini.” Another nod. “Doing what?”

“He was teaching me.” Terry looked up at her brother and decided an explanation would be required. “I speak Italian,” she said. “I go in with Randy. Kevin, uh – Major Richards – wanted me to know more about the resistance and the lay of the land.”

“The resistance bands are not friendly with each other,” broached Actor, ‘as we have found out.”

“They aren’t,” replied the girl. “But they do know some of each other’s hidey holes.”

“What do yuh want me to do, Warden,” asked Chief.

Garrison ran a hand through his damp hair. “Take the next trail north.”

They continued on. Clouds were coming up as they changed direction and headed north up a similarly tiny trail. The wind was coming up too when they stopped for a rest in front of a white rock wall. Goniff helped Casino down and Garrison gave an arm to Actor to assist him in sitting on a rock with his back against a larger rock.

“We’re bein’ watched, Warden,” said Chief in a low voice.

“From where?” asked Garrison.

“Up there.” Terry nodded openly toward the side of the canyon.

Garrison studied the sharply rising wall of white stone and trees. He couldn’t see anything. “What’s up there?”

“The eremo.”

“I don’t see it.”

“I don’t either,” added Chief dubiously.

“That’s the whole point,” smiled Terry. “Hermits don’t want to be found.”

“I will go with you,” said Actor, knowing the girl would have to be the one to go.

Terry gave him a dubious look. His face was pale, and he looked more feverish. “Unless you are planning on going in your underwear, I don’t think that would be a good idea, Actor.”

“What?” he asked in confusion.

Garrison was looking at his second with the same expression. “You have on half of a German uniform.”

Actor glanced down at his pants. “Oh, yes.”

Chief was grinning at the con man’s confusion.

Garrison continued, “They’d shoot you on sight.”

Terry sighed and rolled her shoulders. “Let’s hope they’re a friendlier group than the one at that first cave.” She continued on up the trail.

“You want me to tail her?” asked Chief.

“No,” said Garrison. “If they’re watching us, they’ll know you are. We’ll just have to hope she knows what she’s doing.”

GGG

Three quarters of an hour had passed before Terry slipped back into the partial clearing where her brother and his men were waiting. Actor, still sitting on a rock and leaning back against a boulder, was surprised when the girl walked up, turned his head with fingers on his chin and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you, caro mio, for teaching me the con so well,” she said with a heartfelt tone to her voice.

“That bad?” asked Actor. 

He started to get up, but Garrison motioned him to stay seated. Craig walked up and looked at his sister.

“So, what happened?” he asked with concern.

“We’re good,” Terry replied. “It was a little touchy there for a bit. They didn’t buy I was with special forces. I told them I was freelancing. They wanted to know if I was American, like I said I was, why my Italian sounds Roman.”

“What did you tell them?” asked Craig warily.

“That we had family in Rome,” she made a face. “They wanted to know if our family was fascisti.” The questioning look on her brother’s face made her continue before he asked. “I don’t know. I told them we were Mafioso and they were probably getting some of their supplies from our family.”

“Are they?” Garrison didn’t even know.

Terry gave him an exasperated look. “Craig, how the hell should I know? I haven’t seen the family in almost ten years?”

Casino looked up from his resting place against a tree. “Hey, you guys, you think we can get goin’ before they change their minds and decide to start shootin’?”

“Good idea, Mate,” agreed Goniff.

“Come on,” said Garrison. 

He and Terry helped Actor to his feet. Both became worried because he let them. Chief and Goniff got Casino to his feet. He was weaving, so they each took an arm around their shoulders. Garrison did the same with Actor’s uninjured arm. Terry took the point.

“At least the accommodations are better than the ones we had last night,” Terry said to Goniff and Casino behind her. “And they have food, Goniff.”

“Good! I’m starvin’ to death,” said the Cockney cheerfully.

A little way farther, they came to an abrupt halt as three men appeared in front of them with three rifles of various ethnicity pointed at Terry and the others. Actor pulled away from Garrison’s help and stepped carefully forward.

“Teresa said you are willing to help us,” he said neutrally in Italian.

A tall dark-haired man in a ragged mismatch of clothing stared pointedly at Actor’s trousers. “And how do I know you are not working for the Germans?”

“You don’t,” answered Actor boldly. “However, I do not believe Hitler has any American special forces groups working for him. Do you?”

The man gave a grin that did not quite reach his eyes. “You understand we have to be careful.”

“Naturalmente,” said Actor with an equal expression.

“Then you will be willing to let us have your weapons,” said the man.

“No,” said Terry in Italian. “We will not give up our weapons.”

Actor willed her to be quiet. This was not helping.

“The injuries to our people came from another resistance group. So, you will understand if we are not that trusting either.”

“They too believed you might be working for the Germans?”

“No,” continued Terry. “They did not like the resistance group we were with.”

The three men exchanged looks and came to a decision.

“You can call me Daniele,” said the leader.

“I am Actor,” said the con man. Garrison had come up to stand beside his sister, seeing there could be trouble. “This is Lieutenant Garrison.” 

Craig nodded but maintained his military bearing. The two leaders sized each other up and Daniele turned around to lead the way up the side of the stone wall. Garrison led his group and they were followed by the other two resistance men.

Steps had been ingeniously carved into the rock in such a way as to not be visible from the ground unless one knew where they were. The stairway made hairpin turns to weave with the flow of the stone. By the time they reached the living area Casino and Actor were both about to give out. Daniele spoke with one of his men and the group was led down a walkway covered by a rock overhang and lined by an outside wall. There were rooms carved out of the cliff.

“Cliff dwellings,” murmured Chief.

“Hidden cliff dwellings,” agreed Garrison.

Casino was taken into a room with a real bed. Garrison went in with him and Goniff. Actor and Terry were taken to the next room. Chief sat on a bench of rock between the two rooms. The resistance man looked at him and received an icy look in return.  
“He stays there,” said Actor in Italian. “It is his way.”

With a shrug, the resistance man left Actor and Terry in the room assigned to them. Heavy clouds had covered the sky, leaving little light in the room. Wooden shutters were in the opening of the window. Terry closed them and silently shut the door. Actor had retrieved his lighter from his pants pocket and lit a kerosene lamp on a stand next to the bed. Terry came to stand beside him.

“Please don’t argue with me,” she begged quietly. “Sit down and let me get that shirt off and see the dressing.”

Actor said nothing but sat on the edge of the bed. He allowed the girl to remove the sling, unbutton his shirt and remove it. He watched her untie the gauze band around his upper arm and carefully unwind it. The dressing underneath was stained with slightly bloody yellowish tan drainage.

As if on cue a voice at the door said softly, “Signorina?”

“Entrare,” said Terry.

The door opened and a teenage boy came in, carrying a bundle of medical supplies. Terry took them.

“Grazie. Vorrei l’acqua, per favore.”

“Sì.”

The boy disappeared out the door.

Actor watched Terry open the bundle on the rickety wooden chair beside the bed. There were dressing supplies, more sulfa, and some instruments. The girl picked up a pair of surgical scissors and cut two more sutures on his arm. A little more of the nasty drainage oozed out and rolled in a line down his arm from the red edged wound. Terry took a single piece of gauze and caught the drip. Actor reached his other hand around and applied pressure to the skin surrounding the wound and watched more drainage well out. 

“I wanted to do that,” said Terry, “but I figured it would hurt too much.” She frowned. “It needs something to draw on it. I didn’t see the right kind of plants as we were walking here.”

Actor knew the infection needed to be drawn from the cut but wasn’t sure that he wanted Terry and Chief’s weed medicine. He had to admit, it had worked in the past, as had the anti-fever tea she had made for him and Garrison on previous occasions.

There was the sound of a light kick at the door. Terry got up and opened the door. The same boy stood there with a large bowl of water and a clean rag. Terry accepted it with a smile.

“Grazie. Come ti chiami?”

“Umberto.”

Terry pointed to herself with her chin. “Teresa.”

The boy smiled.

Terry sucked in a cheek. “Si può ottenere un uovo fresco per me?”

Umberto shrugged. “Voglio vedere, Signorina Teresa.”

Terry smiled at him. “Grazie mille, Umberto.”

The boy ran off and Terry closed the door with her hip. Actor moved the dressing supplies over to the little night table with the lamp so Terry could put the water on the chair.

“What do you want an egg for, Teresa,” asked the con man.

Terry looked at him. “Uh, you probably don’t want to know.”

“You are going to put an egg in the wound?” asked Actor, incredulously. The woman had some very unconventional medical practices.

“Not exactly,” she hedged. “They probably don’t have one anyway. I doubt they keep chickens around. Too noisy.” She studied his face. “Why don’t you lie down while I do this,” she suggested. “You’ll be more comfortable.”

Actor doubted he would be ‘comfortable’ no matter what position he was in. However, lying on a bed sounded inviting, even if it wasn’t much of a bed, so he rolled onto his back, allowing the girl to grab his ankles and lift his legs onto the mattress. She tugged the dusty and scuffed jack boots off before opening the faded, ragged quilt at the foot of the bed over him.

“Odd,” she observed. “They have surgical instruments, but not much in the line of bedding. I wonder who’s been supplying them.”

“Hard to say,” replied Actor. “As long it is not the Germans.”

“True.”

Terry began gently cleansing the arm and around the cut. Actor had not realized how exhausted he was until he was horizontal. For a peasant bed, it felt wonderful. He glanced up at Teresa and wished he could smooth the frown lines from her forehead. She hated to cause pain to any of them, and Actor had to admit what she was doing did hurt.

There was another knock at the door. Terry dropped the rag she was using into the water and went to the door. Umberto was standing there, smiling triumphantly, and holding a small dish with a single egg in it.

“Umberto, sei un bravo ragazzo,” grinned Terry. “Momento.”

She picked up the egg and cracked it against the doorjamb, dropping the insides back into the dish and keeping the shell. The boy looked down at the egg in confusion. Was the americana signorina pazza, he wondered. Actor, watching from the bed, was wondering the same thing, although he already knew Teresa was a little pazza. It must run in the family. Still giving her a dubious look, Umberto took his egg and went back the way he had come.

Terry closed the door and went back to the bed. Actor watched her rinse the two halves of shell in the water and set them on the chair beside the bowl. She went back to cleaning the wound.

“And what are you going to do with egg shells?” asked Actor somewhat worriedly.

“You’ll see.”

“That is what I am afraid of,” said the con man.

Another knock came to the door, unexpected this time. 

“Now what?” muttered Terry. She rose to answer it but turned back and pointed a finger at Actor. “Don’t you touch those shells,” she admonished.

Was he that predictable for her to know Actor was seriously thinking of crushing the shells? So much for that idea. He eyed the door with caution, hand going to the handgun in his waistband.

Terry opened the door and stared into the middle of a man’s shirt. She followed the garment up to look into twinkling blue eyes under a mop of blond hair. The man was easily as tall as Actor, but half his width and definitely not Italian.

“Hello, Ducks,” the man said jovially. “I heard we had Yanks for company. Your Lt. Garrison sent me over here. He said you had another injured man. My name’s Ian.” 

He held his hand out. Terry quickly scrubbed her hand against her pants leg to dry it and accepted a hearty handshake.

“Terry,” she said cautiously. She nodded toward the man on the bed. “He’s called Actor.” She backed up and let the man into the room.

“Ah, walked the boards, did you?” asked Ian.

“Not exactly,” said Actor.

The man walked around the bed to see what the injury looked like. “Hmm. Don’t like the looks of that.” He smiled at Actor and looked at Terry. “What have you been putting on it?”

“Sulfa,” answered the girl. “It’s all we have.”

“He needs penicillin.”

“Have any?” asked Terry, still not sure what to make of this man.

“Been out for a couple months,” said the man. “What was in the last drop was intercepted by the Jerries.”

Terry smiled now. “You are not RAF, are you?” she said knowingly.

“No,” admitted Ian. He eyed the woman and sized her up. There was a familiar look to her bearing. “I think you know what I am,” he said.

“I wouldn’t admit that so readily to strangers,” Terry said in a scolding manner offset by the grin on her face. “However, I think we might have been associated with the same people at some point.” Her grin widened. “Have a radio?”

“Not here,” he eyed her and grinned back. “But we can access one.”

Terry let that drop for now. Ian bent down and took another good look at the wound on Actor’s arm. 

“That needs something to draw on it,” he pronounced.

“I have something,” said Terry. She picked up an eggshell half.

“Ah, now this I have to see.”

Ian backed up and let Terry get in close again. She carefully loosened and removed the thin membrane that lined the inside of the shell and looked apologetically at Actor.

“I’m sorry. You’re going to feel this,” she said.

“Feel it?” the con man questioned.

Terry laid the piece over part of the opening where the stitches had been removed. Working quickly, she did the same with the other half of the shell and placed a gauze pad over it. She began winding a gauze roll around Actor’s upper arm to hold it in place.

“I feel nothing, Teresa,” said Actor, not feeling any difference in the pain.

“You will.”

She handed the bowl of dirty water and the rags to the Englishman and asked him to set them on the floor by the door. He took it without objection and did as she asked. Terry sat on the edge of the bed with Actor’s forearm atop her thigh and waited. She didn’t have to wait for long.

Actor’s eyes widened. “Merda!” He remembered just in time to lower his voice. His right arm reached across his body as he tried to claw at the dressing and pull it off, accompanying that with a string of Italian curses. His wrist was grabbed by the girl and he briefly fought with her. “Get that thing off of me!”

“Easy,” said Terry soothingly. “I know it hurts. It’s drawing.”

“Drawing, Teresa? Drawing? It feels like it is sucking my arm out through the hole!”

“I know,” said Terry. She kept a hand on his wrist for good measure.

The door opened and all three turned on alert. Chief stepped inside, knife in hand and ready.

“It’s all right,” said Terry.

“Was I too loud?” asked Actor worriedly.

“Nah. Couldn’t tell what was goin’ on, but I thought it might be your voice.” Chief lowered his arm but did not put the knife away. He eyed the British man warily. “I don’t think the Warden heard yuh either.”

Reassured he had not compromised the team and the people in the eremo, Actor turned his attention back to Teresa. “Will you please get that off my arm?” he hissed at her.

“It will ease up some in a bit,” she told him.

Ian eyed the girl. “I’ve never seen that trick before. You’ll have to tell me about it. Looks like it works better than tobacco.”

“Quicker,” said Terry. “And I smoke, but I can’t stand to chew, and you have to chew the tobacco.”

“You will not put chewed tobacco on my arm!” said Actor adamantly.

“Wasn’t going to unless there was no other choice.”

“What did you use?” asked Chief. He knew there were none of the right ‘weeds’ around to make a compress like they had in the past.

“Egg skin,” said Terry.

“When you tell him, tell me too. Ain’t never heard of that one.”

Terry eyed him. “It’s a southern thing,” she said. “You were in Georgia. You never heard of it?”

“Guess I wasn’t around the right people,” he said.

Remembering what she had heard about Chief and Col. Pryor, she said, “That’s for sure.” Terry turned her attention back to Actor and looked at the thick wrist she still had hold of. She wasn’t sure if Ian spoke much Italian, but she asked Actor in that language if he would leave the dressing alone now.

He frowned at her and nodded. Maybe he was getting used to it, or it was easing up, but if he tried hard, he could bear the discomfort. Terry slowly released his wrist and he let his right arm back down on the bed.

“Try and get some rest,” she said. “I’m going to go check on Casino and Craig.”

Actor gave her an almost petulant look. She ignored it for now, though it amused her. She stood up when he removed his forearm from her legs.

“Come on, Gentlemen,” she said. “Let’s let his rest.”

She ushered the two men out the door, turned back briefly and made a small, quick kissing movement with her mouth and shut the door. Actor glared stormily at the closed door.


	6. Chapter 6

Terry and Ian entered the room that was Casino and Goniff’s. Garrison was leaning against a wall watching the safecracker. Casino was awake, but grateful to be able to lie on something softer than the ground. The splinted arm was resting against his side. Goniff was sitting on the foot of the double bed alternating his attention between his friend and the lieutenant.

“How are you doing, Casino?” asked Terry stepping around the pickpocket to get a closer look at the safecracker.

“I’m okay,” replied Casino. “How come you ain’t with Beautiful?”

“I wanted to check on you,” she replied, gently feeling his fingers. “And Beautiful is a little grumpy right now.”

Garrison gave his sister a look of resignation. “What did you do to him this time?”

“He doesn’t like my kind of medicine,” said Terry airily.

Goniff grinned. “You and Chiefy concoct somethin’ again?”

“No,” said Terry. “This one was all mine.”

“He definitely didn’t like it,” grinned Ian.

Great, thought Garrison. A seriously annoyed Actor was not easy to deal with. Well, he would just leave him out of the next planning meeting. He guessed it would be down to himself, his sister and the British man. And Terry wasn’t going to be happy either. Might as well get it over with.

“Terry, I need to talk to you and Ian in private,” said Garrison.

The three from their group looked at him. Goniff shook his head.

“You can’t bleedin’ ‘ave another mission, Warden.”

Casino raised his head and stared at their leader in disbelief. “Aw, come on, Warden. How are we gonna do another mission?”

“You are joking, Craig. Aren’t you?”

“’Fraid not. This is too important.”

“They’re always too important,” grumbled Goniff. “Two men down, but that don’t matter.”

Terry shook her head in disgust. Garrison motioned her and the Englishman toward the door. He followed them out and down to another room. Once inside, Terry turned on her brother, not caring there was a stranger with them.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” she demanded. “You trying to kill us all off? What can you, me, Chief and Goniff do? And what’s so important this time.”

Garrison glared at his sister but maintained his military bearing. “I read the papers we got from the safe. That’s only half of them. We’re going to Bologna and get the other half.”

“Bologna,” said Terry in disbelief. “And how are we going to get the other half?”

“That’s where I need the help of Ian,” said Craig, looking at the man. “I need location and layout of the German headquarters in Bologna. I need to know what kind of safe it is and the location of that. Then we’ll need papers and better uniforms. And transportation.”

“What makes you think I can get all that?” asked the Englishman in amusement. Obviously, the lieutenant was a little crazy and his group knew that from experience.

Garrison grinned, “You’re British. You’re not RAF. It’s a safe bet you’re SOE.”

“Easy enough deduction,” said Ian. “I can get those things for you. It’s going to take a bit of time.”

“Twenty-four hours long enough?” asked Garrison. “It’ll give my men time to rest.”

“Craig,” objected Terry. “Casino and Actor need to be in a hospital. Casino still isn’t going to be able to open a safe, and Actor needs more than sulfa for that infection. And you want to go to Bologna?”

“It’s on the way,” said Garrison stubbornly. “Besides, you opened the last safe.”

That gained her an interested look from the SOE man.

“I opened that one by sheer luck and it happened to be like yours,” said Terry. “It’s the only kind I know how to open. What if it’s a different kind of safe?”

“Plan B. We blow it up.”

“Inside German headquarters? That’s just as crazy as blowing up a safe in Gestapo headquarters. We can’t use the same con as the last time. And my screaming probably isn’t going to work this time.”

“We’ll get you in a different way,” said Garrison. “And if you don’t want an explosion, then you better be able to open that safe.”

“Craig . . .”

“End of discussion. This isn’t up for a vote.”

“They never are,” the girl shook her head. “Fine, Brother. You figure it out. You tell the others. I’m going back and sit with Actor.” She turned on her heels and walked out.

Ian watched her leave and then turned his attention to the officer. “I’ll send Giancarlo to Bologna tonight.” He eyed Garrison. “Your men are still going to have a two mile walk to get out of here and to a place we can safely hide a vehicle.”

“They’ll make it,” said Garrison. “They made it this far.”

“I trust you want a staff car. A large staff car.”

Garrison nodded.

GGG

Actor awakened in the room carved from the yellow gray tufo cliff. A pale light from the lamp flickered on the porous ceiling. He dropped his gaze to the wall he was facing. The first thing his eyes focused on was the remnant of a fresco depicting one of the saints. His upper lip curled slightly in reflex before straightening out.

“When did you give up the church?”

The voice was quiet beside him. He turned his head to look at the girl.

“When the church gave me up,” he replied with a faint touch of bitterness.

“The church gave you up, or was it your family?” Terry asked gently.

“Both.” 

“How’s your arm now?”

“A little better,” he replied. “It doesn’t have that burning suction like it did at first.”

“It’s still working,” said Terry. “It just doesn’t feel as bad.” She sucked in her cheeks. “We have a new problem.”

“And what new mission does the Warden have for us now?” Actor asked with resignation.

“How did you know?” she asked. 

Actor gave a half smile as if to say, ‘you have to ask that?’

“We’re going to Bologna to open another safe and get the rest of the plans.”

“And how are we to do this?”

“I don’t know yet. I walked out on him before I could slug him.”

Actor knew the futility of arguing with Garrison. The man was like a dog with a meaty bone when he thought there was something else they could go after. And he generally found something they could go after besides their original mission.

“He will let us know when he has the details worked out.”

Terry frowned. “I thought the two of you did that together?”

“He isn’t here asking my opinion, is he?”

“No,” she said with a sigh. “I hoped you’d be able to change his mind.”

Actor smiled and shook his head. “No, cara, I have tried in the past. We all have tried. Once the lieutenant gets it in his mind, none of us can talk him out of it. We will just wait and see what he comes up with.” He looked at her perched on the rickety chair. “You cannot sleep on that thing.”

“It’s better than the floor,” said Terry philosophically.

“Come sleep beside me,” Actor told her.

Terry laughed quietly. “You are ill, aren’t you? My brother is staying in the room on the other side of us. You want him to come in here and find me in bed with you?”

“Why not,” Actor smiled wearily. “You’re safe enough with the shape I am in right now.”

“Probably,” agreed Terry. “But Craig might wonder if you’re safe from me.”

“Am I?” he asked, curious to hear her answer.

“Right now? Yes. If I do make love with a man, I want him to be fully awake and not get interrupted.”

“I am beginning to think it is our destiny to be interrupted.”

Terry chuckled. “You really want me to sleep with you?” she asked seriously.

“Better than you sleeping on that chair,” Actor replied. “Besides, you have slept beside Goniff and Casino. Chief?” He saw her shake her head in denial on that one. “Well then, it is my turn.”

“Okay,” said Terry. “Can you scoot over a little bit without hurting yourself too much?”

In answer, the con man moved closer to the edge, albeit with a grimace. Terry got up and walked around the foot of the bed. She removed the scruffy laced boots she was wearing but left her clothes on and the handgun in her back waistband. Carefully, she eased in beside Actor and lay on her side, facing him. He lifted his right arm and stretched it out so she could wiggle closer and rest her head on his shoulder.

Having the young woman in his bed was something he had contemplated since before her bout of pneumonia. Somehow, this was not what he had in mind, although it was nice having her tucked up against him, even if they were fully clothed.

GGG

The door opened and Garrison stepped inside, closing it quietly behind him. He turned and stopped short, staring at the sight in front of him in the dim light of the turned down lamp. The bed held two occupants. Terry was looking at him with a gun in her right hand. She was under the covers with Actor. The confidence man was watching him with a droll expression. Terry rolled back into the man’s side and shoved the gun under the covers and presumable into the waist band of her pants.

“Told you,” she said to Actor.

“Can we help you, Warden?” asked Actor pleasantly.

“No,” said Garrison. “I was just checking on both of you. It seems you don’t need any help.”

“You could shut the door quietly on your way out and let us get back to sleep,” suggested Terry amicably.

Garrison wasn’t sure if he should be angry or embarrassed. He decided both would be a waste of time, so he settled for “good night.”

“Good night, Warden.”

“’Night, Craig.”

Terry snuggled closer to the con man and closed her eyes. Actor closed his also, effectively cutting off anything Garrison might have been going to say. The soft sound of the door latch had both of them opening their eyes.

“You have balls, Vittorio,” said Terry.

“You should know by now,” said Actor haughtily. “I was about to say the same about you, but not quite as crudely.”

“I don’t have balls, as you well know,” teased Terry back.

“True. And I am delighted I still have mine.” Not that they were of much use to him right now. 

His arm was not of much use. He had lost a good bit of blood. And the long walk and intermittent fever together convinced him he would not be at his peak of performance if he did try something more intimate with Teresa. Besides, this was rather nice. He turned his head slightly to look at her. She was already asleep.

GGG

The pain in his arm woke Actor up at sunrise, not that he could see it with the shutters closed on the windows. The lamp was still giving off a faint light. Teresa was still tucked up tight to him. He was hot with the fever but thought she might be cold and taking advantage of it. With his sleep fitful from the pain, he had been aware of her carefully easing out of the bed and going outside, barefoot. He doubted she was going out to relieve herself with no shoes on. She had returned a few minutes later and just as carefully slipped back under the covers and nestled up against him. The second time she did this, he asked where she had gone. She apologized for waking him up, but she had gone to check on Casino. He reassured her she had not awakened him. He had received a light kiss on his stubbly chin.

When Terry awakened, she immediately asked Actor how the arm was.

“No better, no worse,” he replied.

“In other words, it still hurts like the devil,” said the girl.

“Something like that,” he admitted.

He watched her sit on the side of the bed and put the boots back on. She walked around the end of the bed and pulled the covers back just enough to see the dressing. It was stained with drainage and would have to be changed sometime soon. At least it was draining. Actor hoped that was a good thing. At this point he was not sure. The covers were put back over the arm. 

“You didn’t eat much last night,” she said. “I’ll go see what I can round up for breakfast. Think you can get a little in you?”

“As long as it isn’t that same egg,” he said with a small smile.

“I think that one is probably long gone,” Terry smiled. 

“By the way, Teresa,” Actor asked the question that had been lazily rolling through his mind during the night. “Where is the money you had tucked inside your clothing? It seemed to have suddenly disappeared yesterday.”

Terry smiled broadly. “It’s in the duffle bag, behind your make up case. I didn’t want Casino sending Sticky Fingers to get it.”

“I was wondering,” said the confidence man. 

She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. The heat of his skin was not lost on her, but she said nothing. As she walked to the door, Terry was fully aware his eyes were on her. She let herself quietly out the door.

Actor lay back, looking up at the rough ceiling and contemplated the night. He had slept with many women, always with sex involved. This was the second time he had slept with Teresa, and neither time had they engaged in any activity of that nature. What was stranger to the ladies’ man was the fact he had enjoyed having her against him and awakening with her beside him. The two kisses had been soft and affectionate. That was a novelty also. A nice one to be sure.

GGG

Chief was sitting on the same bench carved from the wall as he had yesterday. He looked up in curiosity as Terry walked toward him. She didn’t look any different than she usually did. Granted when one of them was wounded or ill, she had a tendency to stay with them in a chair. She didn’t have that tired look that came from sitting up all night. He wondered if she had slept with the con man; not that it mattered to him. He dismissed that idea. As sick as Actor was, he probably wouldn’t have been interested in anything besides sleep. Warden had been quiet and introspective when he had entered the room they shared after checking on Actor. 

“You get any sleep last night?” asked the girl.

“Some,” he said. “Warden and I took turns on watch.” He had been the one prowling the walkway in front of the rooms they had been given each time the girl had gone to check on Casino.

“Anything around that half resembles coffee?” Terry asked.

Chief grinned. “I wouldn’t even call it half. Yeah. Down on the next level there’s a kitchen.”

“Food?”

Chief shrugged. “Bread and cheese.”

“Seems like that’s all we eat on missions,” grumbled Terry good-naturedly. “I’d like to get some kind of something into Actor and Casino.”

“Warden’s down there.” The Indian figured he should warn her. 

“Terrific,” said Terry resignedly.

When the girl entered the larger room that served as kitchen and eating area, Garrison was sitting at a table with Ian. He watched his sister get two plates and heap them with cheese and bread. These were balanced on one arm while she poured four cups of what passed for coffee. Hooking her forefinger through the handles of all four cups she turned and looked at the two men.

“Would one of you gentlemen be so kind as to open the door for me?” she asked politely with a smile.

“Of course,” said Ian, starting to rise to his feet.

“I’ll get it,” said Craig. He stood and walked to the door, opening it before taking the two plates from her.

She nodded and walked outside, Garrison behind her. 

“A little heavy on breakfast there, aren’t you?” Craig asked.

“One is for Goniff and Casino and the other is for Actor and me.” She gingerly transferred two of the coffee cups to her other hand.

They walked down the walkway and up the stairs.

“What no lecture about the sleeping arrangements last night?” asked the girl with a touch of defensive defiance.

Garrison thought about it. “I doubt you two did anything more than sleep,” he said reasonably. “As sick as he is, Actor’s good, but I don’t think he’s that good.” Garrison chuckled. “But I wouldn’t tell him that.”

“He already told me,” said Terry. “And you’re right.”

They reached the door to Casino’s room. Craig balanced one plate on his other arm and opened the door. Terry went in first. Goniff was sitting on the chair to that room and Casino was still in the bed. Both looked up. Terry handed two cups of coffee to the pickpocket. Casino tried to wiggle his way to sit up in bed. The girl stepped around and helped him get situated. She looked at the hand sticking out beyond the splint and then into the safecracker’s eyes. 

“Any better?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Casino. “A little I guess.”

Terry stepped out of the way so Garrison could set the plate of food on the table beside the bed.

“Where’s mine?” Casino asked looking at the amount of food. “That’s just an appetizer for the Limey.”

“’Ey, Mate!” objected Goniff with a sniff.

“That one mine?” asked Casino, noticing the second plate in Garrison’s hand.

“No,” said Terry firmly. “That’s for me and Actor.”

Casino and Goniff both eyed the food on that plate. 

“Ole Actor gettin’ any better?” asked Goniff with genuine concern.

“Not really.” Terry wasn’t going to get into this conversation. She was still upset with Craig, even if she did recognize the military outlook that had been ground into him.

She took the other plate from Garrison and headed for the door. Craig opened it for her and stepped outside with her.

“I’m not changing my mind about this mission,” he said quietly.

Terry glared at him. “Did I say anything this morning?”

“No, but I can see you thinking.”

“What I’m thinking is the older you get, the more like Dad you get.”

He watched her walk away from him and let herself into Actor’s room. At one time, he would have found that statement a compliment. Now it sounded like an insult.

The day was long and wearisome. Actor got up and walked around several times with Terry or Chief in attendance. Casino stayed down. Terry took turns sitting with both men to give Goniff a break from being cooped up in the little room with the safecracker.  
It was after dark when Giancarlo returned from Bologna. He had uniforms, maps, blueprints, identification papers, and some medicine for Actor’s fever. Terry gave him a dose and was just finishing changing the dressing on his arm when Garrison entered the room with Goniff and Chief. Actor sat up and they all crowded onto the bed.

Garrison unfolded the map and the blueprints across the Italian’s legs. There was none of the bickering or cutting up that usually accompanied a briefing. Nobody was happy, but nobody bothered to complain.

Craig pointed out a spot on the map of Bologna. “Chief this is where we are going. There is an alley in the back that is usually unguarded. The entrance is locked, and the alarm system is up on the wall above the door. Giancarlo says he thinks you can access it from the roof of the car.”

“So, do we go in the back?” asked Terry.

“We’ll go in the front. One of us will open the back door and let you in.” 

This earned the girl’s rolling eyes behind his back. “So, where’s the breadbox?”

Garrison looked at her sharply. “You don’t need to talk like Casino.”

“Why not? You’re making me do his job.”

“How far is the back door from the office with the safe, Warden,” asked Chief.

“Halfway down the back hall,” replied Garrison. “Here,” he pointed at a room on the blueprint. “You won’t be going in with us, Chief. You’ll be driving.”

“Wot about me?” asked Goniff. 

“You’ll be coming in as our guard.”

Actor did not like to say anything in front of the others, but it had to be done this time. “Lieutenant, don’t you think you are taking too big of a chance with this? Chief in the car. You, Teresa and Goniff in the building alone?”

“You’ll be coming in with us,” said Garrison.

“Craig!” exclaimed Terry in anger.

“No, Teresa.” Actor held his good hand out to stop her tirade before it could get started. He cocked his head and smiled knowingly at Garrison. “Let me guess. The ranking officer’s uniform is too large for you but will fit me for once.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know what kind of safe it is?” asked Terry in resignation.

“Fabrique.”

That didn’t sound good to the girl. That was one of the big walk-in safes if she wasn’t mistaken. And she hoped she was. 

Garrison continued on. “We leave at 0700. It’s two miles to the road where the car is hidden. It’ll take us longer than usual to get there. Chief knows the route to Bologna. There’s a safe house we can stay in until night when we go in.” He looked around at his men and woman. “From there we head for La Speza. Now I need to brief with Actor, so the rest of you can go.”

The two men stood and headed for the door. Terry remained where she was sitting on the bed beside the con man’s knee. Craig knew she had no intentions of leaving, but that was okay.

“So, what is the con, Warden?” asked Actor.

“We are coming in for a surprise inspection. There is a secret meeting of high - ranking officers the next day and we are to see the facilities are adequate and also safe.”

Actor raised his eyebrows and gave a nod. “It’s worked before.” He eyed the officer calmly. “And what if we have to blow the safe? How are you planning on explaining that?” 

“We’ll come up with something before that.”

“Good plan,” said Terry sarcastically. She looked at Actor. “And he’s like this on all of your missions?”

“A great many of them.” He grinned at Garrison. “Aren’t you?”

“You’re just as bad as me,” said Craig with a half grin. 

“True.”

“Get some rest,” said Garrison. “You’re going to have to do some walking tomorrow.”

Terry smiled broadly at Actor. “Same arrangement as last night, caro?”

“It seemed to work well,” replied Actor. “Casino is going to be terribly jealous.”

“You want to sleep with Goniff instead?” asked the girl innocently.

“No.”

They both looked at Garrison. He smiled insincerely. 

“Funny.”

“It is rather humorous.”


	7. Chapter 7

It was cool in the shade of the trees. The sun was not high enough to light the entire canyon. The lower temperature did not seem to be of much help to the injured men. Casino was stumbling over rocks more than was usual for the safecracker. It was taking both Goniff and Garrison to keep him upright. Actor was moving along at the slow pace of the others, maintaining the stance of a drunken person who did not want to appear drunk. Terry was right behind him. On one occasion, she had to make a quick grab of his belt to steady him when he tripped over a root and lost his balance. It did not go over well with the con man’s ego.

Ian had decided to go with them to the car. He did not know how they were going to make it over the two miles of rough trail. Maybe his presence would take some of the load off at least one of the group. He took the rear and kept an eye on things behind them. When they stopped for a rest he was surprised when Chief came up to him.

“So how many of ‘em are out there?” asked the group’s scout. 

“Pardon?” asked Ian.

“I count two,” said Chief. “They ain’t Krauts. Are there any more of ‘em?”

Not familiar with the keen hearing and vision of the American Indian man, Ian wondered how he knew they had company. Knowing they were there still did not allow him to see their locations.

“There are two,” he replied. “Daniele is in front and Giancarlo is behind me.”

Garrison had nonchalantly wandered over when he saw Chief approach the SOE man. “Guarding us, or planning on attacking us?” The army officer was not trusting of the Italians whom he had only spoken to a couple times.

“After what happened to you outside of Pesaro, Daniele did not want a replay of that here.” The man went on to explain. “Admittedly there are problems between the factions over supremacy. However, most of them are aware the Allies are giving them needed help and supplies and do not wish the hand that feeds them to get bitten.”

Garrison shook a cigarette out from his pack and offered it to the British man, who accepted it happily. “I haven’t had any problems with the partisans in Italy up until now. I don’t think Terry has either.”

Chief’s eyes darted toward the lieutenant. He knew Terry was into things besides the army. Actor knew it too. But the scout wasn’t aware just how much Garrison knew. Silently, Chief went back to watch the trail in front of them. He did not want to get into this turn of the conversation.

It took three rest stops to make it to the road and the German staff car. The two Italian resistance men pulled the branch and bush covering off the vehicle. Chief got the big engine started and let it idle to warm up. He watched Terry motion Daniele off to the side. A serious conversation took place between the two that had the man eyeing her with curiosity and finally nodding.

Terry smiled and spoke in a normal voice. “Grazie per il vostro aiuto.”

“Prego.” Daniele replied.

He, Giancarlo and Ian disappeared back the way they had come after a nod to Garrison.

GGG

Though the large car had three rows of seats inside, it was still crowded. The men all wore various uniforms of the SS, but Terry remained clothed in the resistance garb she had been wearing. At checkpoints, when not easily waved through, Actor sternly informed the officers they were taking a very important female partisan to be interrogated in Bologna and did not like to be detained. The girl held her hands behind her back as though tied, and her head hung down with her hair in disarray, covering her face.  
At the final checkpoint, the officer’s long perusal of their papers resulted in an angry colonel with downturned mouth and piercing eyes object that they had waited long enough and he was in a hurry to get rid of his prisoner because, frankly, the woman smelled disgusting. The officer motioned for the guards to let them pass.

A way down the road, Terry sat up and gave the Italian a mock dirty look. “Was that really necessary?”

“It appeared so,” replied Actor with a half grin.

Garrison was grinning broadly. His sister’s wrath turned on him. “What are you laughing at?”

“Payback.”

GGGGG  
The safe house in Bologna was a flat above a bookstore. The men crowded around Terry to get her inside without having her state of dress observed by unwanted eyes. The flat was fairly spacious with a couple bedrooms and a kitchen. They settled the two injured men in the bedrooms. 

Terry checked Actor’s wound. The arm was still reddened in a circle around the cut. The egg skin was removed and there seemed to be less drainage. Terry cleaned it again and redressed it. Actor said nothing, just watched her face. Her distress and worry were openly shown on her expression.

“You are not showing objectivity, Little One,” he said.

“That’s because I am not feeling objective.” She finished tying the gauze wrap around his arm. “I don’t like this second mission. I don’t like not having the whole team functioning. And I don’t like dragging you into German Headquarters. We should have cut and run from Pesaro and found a way to catch that sub.”

“I am sure the Warden knows something that is in those papers he is not sharing with us. And that something is very important,” said Actor calmly from experience.

“Yeah, well, I’d like to know what,” grumbled the girl. She stood and looked down at the con man with a small smile. “I need to check on Casino and ask him how to open this safe I am supposed to suddenly be able to open.” She bent down and kissed his heated forehead. “Rest. You’re going to need it.”

Actor watched her leave and quietly close the door behind her. 

Casino looked up when Terry entered his room. She was worried. That much he could tell. 

“How’s Actor?”

Terry sat on the edge of his bed. “The wound is still red, but the drainage is a little less. He’s still got a fever.” She gently felt the fingers on his injured hand. “How’s the wrist?” 

“Still sore, but that splint is helpin’” he replied. When she tilted his head so she could get a look at his eyes, he opened them wide and stared exaggeratedly at her.

“Nut,” she smiled.

“Naw, that’s Goniff.”

“Still dizzy?” 

“Not as bad.” A thought crossed his mind. “By the way, Sister, where’s the money. You haven’t been pregnant since we left the car the other day.”

“Someplace safe,” she answered vaguely. She wasn’t about to tell him where it was. He might not be able to get at it, but he could have Goniff do it. “I have a bigger problem,” she changed to something more urgent.

“What, Babe?”

“Craig wants me to open this safe or he’s going to blow it and probably us with it.” She looked questioningly at him. “It’s a Fabrique.”

“What!” Casino couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “A Fabrique? You can’t open one of those. That’s a bank job.”

“Yeah? Guess what? You better teach me really quick how to heist a bank then.”

“Geez, Lady!” He shook his head. “Warden, ain’t gonna like that.”

“It’s the Warden’s idea,” said Terry drolly. “It’s okay if it’s for him.”

“Okay, there’s two dials. First, you’re gonna need the stethoscope outta our bag so you can hear the tumblers better. I don’t think you can feel this one.” He proceeded to instruct her on the finer points of cracking a bank grade safe.

Not feeling any better about things when she finally left the safecracker to rest, Terry sought out her brother. He was standing by the window Chief was watching out. The girl tugged at Garrison’s sleeve and motioned with her head to follow her and led him into the kitchen area.

“Something wrong?”

“I want to know something,” said Terry. “What’s the point in getting this information out? The Jerries know we have the first set of plans. So, we take the second set. What’s to stop them from changing their defense line? Seems to me this is all for nothing now.”

Garrison shook his head. “They can’t afford to move their line. They already have too many installations built along it.”

“Well then how are our forces going to get through them? Saying we ever get forces up here.”

“We will know where they are and can plan accordingly. Ground forces will know what they are up against and air raids might be able to take care of some of them. It’ll save a . . .”

“I know,” interrupted the girl. “It’ll save a bunch of lives. Nobody cares about ours.”

“We are expendable, Terry. You included. And not just us. All the special forces groups are expendable.”

“Expendable doesn’t do any good if the information is lost.”

“I agree,” said Garrison. “But we have to do it.” He shook his head. “And if we don’t do it while we are here, they’ll just send us back.”

Terry looked at Goniff, standing beside Chief, looking out the window. “Sometimes, I think they were better off in prison.”

“They don’t,” said Craig with something close to admiration. “They seem to think this is worth it. If they didn’t, they would have taken off a long time ago. You know Actor has the brains and ability to get them safely to Switzerland.”

“Okay.”

The girl turned away and began going through cupboards looking for food. Garrison left her to it and went out to go over the blueprints and map yet another time. 

Casino came to the door of his bedroom and motioned for Garrison to come over. Wondering what was going to go wrong now, the lieutenant walked over. Casino jerked his head toward the inside and shut the door behind the officer. Garrison waited for him to speak and did not have to wait long.

“This set up isn’t good, Warden.”

“We are going through with it. I’m not scrubbing this mission,” said Craig stubbornly.

“I ain’t askin’ yuh to, Babe,” said the safecracker. “I just want to change the odds a little bit more in our favor.”

“And how is that Casino?” Garrison really was open to suggestions from his men as long as they were constructive ones.

“You’re lettin’ Sister in through the back door, right?” 

Garrison nodded. 

“Then take me in that way too,” he spoke quickly before Garrison could object. “I can open that safe with my ear and two good hands, she can’t. She’s gonna need to use the stethoscope and two hands. She don’t have three hands and I know where to put the ‘scope for her to hear.”

Garrison contemplated it a second. It sounded feasible. “Can you make it all right?”

Casino gave him a disgusted look. “If Actor can do it in the shape he’s in, I can do it too.”

“Okay.”

GGGGG

The alley was pitch dark which made it safer for Chief not to be seen. He was indeed standing on the roof of the staff car. With a penlight taped down to a slit and held in his mouth, the Indian easily bypassed the alarm system above the back door to the German headquarters. Satisfied with his work, Chief slid off the roof to the ground beside Garrison and Terry. 

While the alarm system was being circumvented, the girl had gone behind a bin and changed into her familiar boots, trousers and shirt. She was bound to be comfortable and it would not matter what she was wearing if they were caught. They would be treated as spies, if they weren’t killed outright first.

Casino, dressed in an oversized Wehrmacht uniform, was helped out of the car and into the alcove of the steps to the back door with the girl. They watched the car ease down the alley to the road and turn toward the front of the building. Neither of them had a good feeling about any of this.

The staff car stopped in front of the steps leading into the headquarters building. The blond corporal jumped out of the front seat and opened the door for the two officers. The tall, dark-haired colonel had a look of displeasure permanently chiseled into what would have been a handsome face. His aide, a major, was blond and almost Aryan looking. Both men straightened like the officers they were and marched up the steps. The guard at the door saw tall men wearing lightning bolts on their collars and skulls heads on their caps. Not even asking for identification, he swung the door open for the officers and flung a rigid armed Heil Hitler. The colonel gave a half-hearted flick of his hand in return and swept through the door, followed by the major and his corporal.   
Surprisingly, the corridor was almost empty except for a desk with a disinterested corporal sitting behind it. The disinterest did not last long. The young man could only see SS striding towards him. He jumped to attention with enough force to send his chair rocking back on its rear legs before dropping back to the floor with a clatter. His right arm flashed out with the same smart Heil Hitler salute. 

Actor sneered at him and demanded to see the officer in charge. The corporal hesitantly asked for their papers.

“Sofort!” shouted Actor.

The corporal grabbed the phone and hurriedly dialed. A moment later he informed a Major Gunther that SS officers were here. Actor ignored the man and turned toward the end of the hall, awaiting this major. Moments later, a short, stocky man in a Wehrmacht uniform came around the corner at the end of the hall.

Garrison stepped up to stand at Actor’s left. Goniff remained the correct distance behind them. Major Gunther stopped in front of the officers and introduced himself. Actor introduced himself as Colonel Deitinger and his aide as Major Bruenner. Confused, Gunther asked why they were here. Actor said they needed to go someplace private to discuss this. Gunther asked for their papers. Actor reached inside his left jacket pocket, trying not to move the left arm. He flashed his identity card. Garrison did the same with his. The major nodded and told them to follow him to his office. He turned, but not before looking at Actor’s left arm which was still hanging at his side.

Behind the major’s back, Actor and Garrison exchanged looks. It was Actor’s con now. They went down the back hall to an office on the left. There was only one guard in the hall. Once inside the office, with Goniff outside the door on guard, Actor wasted no time getting to the point.

“Major, tomorrow there is to be a secret meeting here between Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring and Reichsminister Goering.”

Gunther blanched and then frowned. “And why was I not informed of this before now?”

Actor’s voice took on the tone of one talking to an imbecile. “Because, Gunther, no one is to know any of the details until the last minute for security reasons. This area is a stronghold of partisans. I am here to inspect your conference facilities.” His eyes narrowed. “I have not observed very many guards. Is this all you have?” We were not informed of this.”

“Oh, no, Herr Colonel,” said the major. “We have many more.”

“I want a guard every ten feet down all of the halls by nine o’clock tomorrow morning. The meeting will take place at ten o’clock. It will last one hour. Now show me the conference room. Kommen Sie!”

That was Goniff’s cue to open the door for the officers. They stepped into the hall and went across and down one door to a large conference room with a long table lined with high-backed chairs. A floor to ceiling walk-in safe was at the far end of the room. Actor walked slowly around the room, studying everything he passed.

Major Gunther leaned closer to Garrison and whispered. “Is the Colonel injured? Does he need medical assistance.”

Yes, but not from the Germans, thought Craig. Instead, he smiled and whispered back, “It is an old war wound. It has left him with some paralysis. He is very touchy about it. I would ignore it if I were you.”

“Oh, yes,” the major whispered back. Actor had made turn around the far end of the long table and had taken a good look at the safe. “Is everything in order, Colonel Deitinger?”

Actor looked at him with narrow eyes. “This safe, is it secure? We may wish to store some papers in it.”

“Quite secure, Herr Colonel. Only two people know the combination: myself and my leutnent.”

Actor nodded and continued his survey of the room. “I will have men here at eight o’clock to check the room for bugs and the room on either side for the same. If you are aware of any, I would suggest you remove them before then.” The con man walked up to the German major and looked down his nose at the shorter man. “I wish to have a word in private with Major Bruenner. If you would be so kind.”

“Oh, please use my office,” offered the German.

“This will be fine,” said Actor.

“No, I insist. My office will be more comfortable.”

Garrison shook his head behind the major’s back. This wasn’t going to work. Garrison raised his arm with the intent of delivering a blow to the base of his neck, only Gunther chose that moment to start to turn so the blow missed its mark. Gunther opened his mouth to yell. Actor lunged forward and hooked his right arm around the man’s neck tightly. Before he could react, Garrison slugged him with everything he had. Unfortunately, Actor’s hold was just at the wrong angle and both men heard the bones snap in the man’s neck. Gunther went dead weight on Actor and instinctively he grabbed at the body with his left hand to keep from going down with it. Garrison grasp on the front of the man’s uniform and pulled him away from the con man, lowering the body to the floor. Actor stepped backward and sat on the corner of the table, hand gripping his upper arm and jaws clenched shut. 

Garrison looked at his second with concern. “You okay?”

Actor nodded. Somehow, Garrison didn’t believe him. 

Goniff eased closer and looked down at the German officer whose neck was not at an anatomically correct angle. “Blimey, Warden,” he whispered. “Yuh bleedin’ killed ‘im.”

“Yeah,” agreed Garrison with distaste. “We’re going to have to take care of that guard too.” He looked at Actor. “Can you . . . ?”

“Yes.”

Actor stood and went to the door. Taking a deep breath against the pain in his arm, he straightened, opened the door and glared at the guard in the hall. 

“Kommen Sie hier! Schnell!”

The guard hurried into the room behind the SS general. Garrison was behind the door and this time delivered a blow in the right place. The guard dropped to the floor beside the major. Goniff quickly removed the belt from the major’s pants and tied the guard’s wrists behind his back. The guard’s belt secured his ankles. Garrison yanked one of the guard’s boots off, tugged a sock off, and stuffed it in the man’s mouth.

Actor was back sitting on the table. Garrison looked at him. “Stay here. We’ll be back in a minute.” The lieutenant turned to Goniff. “Take the schmeisser. I’ll take care of the major. You get the backdoor and cover me.”

Garrison grabbed an arm and heaved the body over his shoulder. Goniff checked the hall and motioned Garrison to go ahead of him. They got to the end of the hall and Goniff opened the door. Terry and Casino looked up, a gun in the girl’s hand. 

“Get in here,” said Garrison in a low voice.

They stepped inside and skirted around Craig and the dangling body. Terry noted the rank on the dead man’s shoulder as her brother pushed past. 

“Where’s Actor?” she asked, thinking this had to be the end of the mission.

“Waiting for us in the room. Goniff come on and help me.”

Goniff followed Garrison outside, shaking his head. This was bad and he didn’t think it was going to get better. Craig stopped by the garbage bin. 

“Open it. We’ll stash the body in here. It’ll take them a little longer to find him.”

Goniff lifted the lid high enough for Garrison to drop the body inside atop the trash and then he closed it. The stench of garbage and filth was overpowering. It would help hide the smell of rotting corpse if Gunther wasn’t found in a timely manner. Garrison was already headed back to the door. As they joined the other two, Terry put a hand on her brother’s arm.

“Dead, right?”

Garrison nodded.

“Craig, that’s a major!” she hissed.

“I know. Move it.”

All the three could do was follow him down the hall to the conference room. Terry pulled up short at the tied, unconscious man on the floor. With raised eyebrows, she stepped around him. Her eyes went to Actor and did not like what she saw. His color was gray, and his mouth was pinched together in pain. Before she could say anything to him, Garrison told her to get to the safe.

Casino led her to the safe, shaking his head. It was a Fabrique all right. He would be able to open it in maybe 30 seconds. He doubted the girl could. Glancing at her, he saw her pull the stethoscope out of her shirt. Casino shook his head and moved up to the door. He leaned against it like a lover and gently took the top dial between the thumb and middle finger of his left hand. Taking a breath, he tried to get the same kind of grasp on the lower dial with the splinted hand.. The minute he attempted to move the dial a knife-like pain shot down his thumb and into his wrist. Casino jerked the hand back and pressed it against his chest. As soon as the pain subsided, he tried again with the same result.

“Let her try it,” said Garrison impatiently. 

Terry crowded the safecracker out of the way and put the stethoscope earpieces into her ears. Casino exchanged a look with her. She carefully took the two dials as he had. Casino placed the bell of the stethoscope against the metal door between the two dials. Terry sucked in her bottom lip and started to search for the first tumbler. She was being slow and careful.

Actor came up to stand beside Garrison and watch the process. Craig glanced at him and at his arm. The con man shook his head.

After the seventh tumbler, Terry tried to open the handle. It didn’t give.

“Okay, clear the dials and try again,” said Casino.

Terry licked her dry lips and set about to do it again. Garrison stepped to the end of the table and began taking plastic explosive, fuse and detonator from various pockets and laying them out. The second try on the safe was the same as the first. 

“Move. We’ll . . .,” said Garrison.

“No!” shot back Terry.

She bent back to her task. Casino watched her fingers and her face. Finally, she looked at him and reached for the handle. This time it gave, and she dragged the heavy door open. Casino stepped out of the way in anticipation. Garrison pushed his sister out of the way and went inside the vault.

Actor picked up the explosive materials and placed in his pockets. He stayed to watch as Garrison came out with a stack of papers and laid them on the table. The lieutenant quickly began scanning and flipping pages.

Casino and Terry want back to where Goniff was listening for any movement in the hall.

“Yuh did good,” the safecracker told the girl.

“Yeah, well I bet you don’t take me on any bank jobs anytime soon,” she said. Secretly she was pleased she had been able to open it, even if it had taken her several minutes. They stopped and looked down at the still unconscious man on the floor.

“Goniff, let’s you and I drag him over to the corner so he’s out of the way,” said Terry. “One of us is going to trip over him otherwise.”

The Cockney lay the schmeisser on the table. Casino took up a position behind the door while Goniff and girl dragged the man out of the way. Terry started back, but Goniff stopped to pick up the man’s cap that had fallen off and toss it on top of him.  
Suddenly, Casino started to call out, but the door burst open, hitting him on the arm and slamming him back against the wall with a resounding thud of his head, stunning him. Goniff’s handgun came up, but Terry was in the way. The girl clawed for her gun but was grabbed by the German officer who had pushed his way in and flung her around with an arm across her throat and a gun barrel pointed at the side of her head.

The Leutnant glanced around, taking in the two men at the other end of the room and the open vault. 

“Drop your guns,” the officer said in heavily accented English. 

Terry let hers slide down her leg to the floor. Actor and Garrison knew neither of them could take the shot from where they were and laid their weapons on the table. Casino was leaning against the wall, stunned from the second head injury in four days.   
Goniff was facing the German and Terry, gun steady in hand and aimed forward.

“Drop it, or I will kill her.”

Terry minutely shook her head at Goniff, watching his face.

In a calm voice, the Cockney said, “You shoot her and you’ll be dead before she hits the floor, Mate.”

Terry now had a hand on the man’s arm. Her eyes remained on Goniff. Either way, she was about to die, whether from the officer’s bullet, or Goniff’s if he tried to take the man out. She made a brief small struggle that got the arm tighter across her throat. What only Goniff saw was the switchblade drop into her hand and open silently against her leg.

Oh, bloody hell, thought Goniff. He was going to have to shoot.

“Drop the gun!” the German ordered again. He addressed the two men at the other end of the room. “Do not move. You attempt to come any closer and I will kill her. Where is Major Gunther?”

Terry carefully turned the knife over in her hand, so it was facing back and resting on the outside of her leg. She gave a small smile to the Englishman and a miniscule nod of her head. God, let it be quick, she prayed. She and Goniff locked eyes. The Cockney stood a tad bit straighter and his gamin expression turned hard.


	8. Chapter 8

Terry stabbed backwards with the knife into the man’s leg and shoved her head as far to the left as she could, eyes tightly shut, mouth slightly open. Goniff fired at the same time the Leutnant did. The girl felt the German’s bullet pass in front of her face, narrowly missing her, and Goniff’s bullet ruffle the hair on her head. 

The Leutnant dropped his gun and fell to the floor, dragging Terry down under him. Garrison and Actor leapt forward. Goniff was on his knees beside the girl and the officer. Casino stumbled from the corner behind the door and dropped to his knees across from the pickpocket. Grabbing with his good hand, he and Goniff turned the body over and off of the girl. Terry was face down, blood splattered on her hair and part of her face. 

Goniff was stricken. He sincerely hoped it wasn’t his bullet hitting her first before killing the German that had killed her. He looked at Casino with a crumple-faced expression of agony. 

“Terry!”

“Teresa!”

Garrison ran up and straddled Terry’s legs, bending down to grab her arm and turn her over. Her eyes were closed. Craig couldn’t tell if the blood was hers or the officer’s. Actor fell to his knees beside Goniff. Casino watched her chest.  
“She’s breathing, Warden,” said the safecracker. “She ain’t dead yet.”

“Terry!” Garrison shook her.

The girl’s eyes slowly opened and looked up into her brother’s face. She took some shaky breaths and held perfectly still. “Am I dead?” she asked.

“No,” replied Garrison. 

The girl did not seem to notice. Her eyes took in the faces above her.

“Teresa, where are you hurt?” asked Actor in concern.

“What?”

“Where are you hurt?” repeated Garrison. He began wiping the filth from her face with his handkerchief and feeling in her hair.

“I can’t hear,” said the girl. “Ear’s ringing.”

She struggled to sit up, grabbing her brother’s arm. Once upright, she turned her head and looked at the corpse lying beside her with the hole in his forehead.

“Good shot, Goniff,” she tried to say shakily.

“Okay, come on, we have to get out of here now!” 

Garrison grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Letting go, he ran back to the safe, stuffed all the papers inside his shirt and shoved the vault door closed. Goniff stepped into the hallway. Two soldiers came around the far corner with schmeissers. The pickpocket opened fire before they could. 

The others entered the hall. Garrison ran up to the downed men and took their machine guns. In the meantime, Actor herded the others around the nearer corner that led to the back door. Goniff quickly checked the alley and motioned them to come on. Garrison bounded down the steps behind them, two machine guns in hand. Terry, with a second jolt of adrenalin, pulled away from Actor’s grasp on her arm and took one of the schmeissers. 

“Where’s Chief?” demanded Casino.

The five moved as quickly as possibly down the dark alley in the direction the car had gone after letting off Casino and Terry earlier. A squeal of tires had them turning to look behind them. Garrison lifted his schmeisser and quickly tilted it upward as he recognized the staff car barreling toward them. They split up and hugged the walls as the car screeched to a halt between them. Garrison climbed in the front seat and the others got in the back. Chief sped off.

At the end of the alley, he cut the wheel hard to the left, shoving Actor’s arm into the door and eliciting a curse in Italian. Casino almost fell on top of Goniff. Shots rang out behind them. Chief swung the big car to the right down a side street, tossing the occupants in the other direction. He sped down the street and zigzagged some more. They picked up a gun car tailing them. Garrison was turned around, shooting as best he could from his window, with Goniff doing the same from the other side of the car.   
The car shot across the bridge spanning the north-south flowing Fiume Reno River. Another gun car appeared in front of them. Chief took another hard right and they tore northward. The Indian’s evasive skills were put to the test, but he was able to lose their pursuers as they reached a small lane leading out of town. He did not slow until they were well away from Bologna and the sky was lightening.

“Find a place to hide this thing,” said Garrison.

A mile more and they turned up a track that was full of tall weeds and looked unused. Farther up from the road, Chief eased the car into the woods and cut the engine. Garrison got out and listened. Nothing but silence and the ticking of the hot engine greeted him. After a minute, he opened the back door and motioned Terry and Goniff out.

“You okay?” Garrison asked his sister.

Terry nodded. “Thanks to Goniff.”

The Cockney grinned, not about to let them see how relieved he was he hadn’t shot the girl.

“Hearing is coming back,” she said.

Chief came around the car and joined them. “Now what, Warden?”

Garrison looked at his two men. “Sign back there said there’s a village two kilometers from here. We need new wheels, not German, and new clothes.” 

Chief nodded and motioned Goniff to come with him. Terry waited until they had disappeared from sight and grabbed her brother’s arm, dragging him out of hearing range of the occupants of the car. Garrison stopped and stood tall, looking down at her.

“You don’t intimidate me,” said Terry. “Craig Garrison, if you come up with one more mission on this mission, I will shoot you myself. This has been one foul up after another. We’re done! I don’t care what is in those papers in your shirt. We - are - done!”

“We’re done,” he said without anger. 

He had to agree with her. None of this had gone well. Craig watched Terry turn and stalk off to the car, open the door on the opposite side and lean inside. Garrison followed her and slid one leg inside from his side of the car and sat on the seat.

Terry was trying to check the safecracker’s eyes. His headache was back twofold now. The girl felt his head for swelling. There was a new goose egg on this back of his head to go with the one on top. She felt his fingers for circulation.

Garrison reached to lay a hand on Actor’s knee. The confidence man was leaning back with his head atop the back of the seat and openly cradling the wounded arm.

“You all right?” asked Craig.

“Delightful,” replied Actor not opening his eyes.

Terry turned her attention to him. As gently as possible, she felt the sleeve of his jacket. It was damp. She turned to her brother. 

“Help me get this jacket off of him,” she said. “I need to see that arm.”

“Just leave it, Teresa,” said the con man wearily. 

“You know I can’t do that,” said Terry. “And you would be doing the same if it were me.”

“Come on,” said Garrison.

The lieutenant pulled Actor forward and helped him get the good arm out of the sleeve. He pushed it behind the man’s back until Terry could get hold of it and carefully work the sleeve off. The white shirt sleeve had a large patch of blood. Reaching in her boot for her spare blade, she flicked it open and slit the material. The dressing was dark with blood.

“Looks like some more stitches popped,” she said.

Garrison watched Terry climb out of the car and go behind to open the trunk. He could hear her rummaging back there. Finally, she shut the trunk and set one foot back into the car. In her hands were the sling, more gauze and a roller bandage.

“This is the last of it,” she said.

Terry placed the gauze pads atop the wet ones and wrapped the last of the roller gauze around the con man’s arm. She eased the arm into the sling and tied the ends behind his neck. He watched her silently, lines engraved deeper around his pursed lips and heat radiating off him. It was too cold out yet to leave his as he was, so she very gently laid the open jacket across him. Both Garrisons tucked the edges around the con man.

Craig looked at her. “Get in. I’ll take first watch.”

“It’s all yours,” said the girl.

Garrison slipped into the woods and Terry climbed in to sit across from Actor and beside Casino. Now she leaned back in the seat. She reached to the side to touch Casino’s fingers and stopped with her hand trembling.

“You okay, Sister?” Casino asked, watching her outstretched hand.

Actor opened his eyes and tilted his head forward to see what was going on now.

“The adrenaline is wearing off,” he said.

“This is stupid,” said Terry shakily. “It’s been over for a long time now. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Of course you should,” said Actor. “You know this.”

Casino moved his arm up behind her head. “Come here, Babe.”

Terry burrowed into him. Actor and the safecracker exchanged looks and Actor nodded approval.

“That was a hellova shot the Limey took,” Casino said.

“I didn’t know he could shoot so well,” said Terry, into his shirt.

Neither man was willing to say normally the pickpocket wasn’t that good. He had a tendency to close his eyes when he took a shot. He was getting much better now, obviously, and a good thing too.

Casino kept his arm around the girl. His head hurt even more than his wrist, but despite that he was enjoying having the woman tucked up against him. Actor tried to relax back against the seat. He watched the two across from him at once glad Casino was taking care of Teresa and at the same time wishing he was the one doing it.

Two hours later, the sound of a cranky engine reached them and came closer. Terry got out of the car and crouched behind the front of it, gun in hand. Actor had shifted to the rear facing seat and was waiting, Casino’s gun in his hand. A beat-up van with Panetteria in peeling paint on the side pulled up behind the car. Chief was at the wheel with Goniff sitting in the other seat. Garrison came out of the woods as they got out of the van.

“The owner isn’t missing it?” asked Garrison dubiously.

“Don’t think so,” said Chief. “This was in the alley. The shop was open already and there was a line of dames down the street.

“An’ ‘e didn’t leave even a crumb in the back,” lamented Goniff.

“Clothes?” asked Garrison.

“In the back,” replied Chief.

The two men went to the back of the van. Goniff stepped up to Terry who had come up, pushing the pistol in the back of her waistband.

“You okay, Love?” the blond asked with worry.

“Fine,” she relied. “Thanks to you.” She put her arms around him and hugged him. “That’s twice you’ve saved my bacon, Mate.”

“Well an’ if I let somefin’ ‘appen to you, Warden would send me back to Sing Sing,” he said to cover his embarrassment.

“I doubt that, Goniff,” grinned Terry. 

Goniff and Chief helped the injured men change clothing and get as comfortable as they could in the back of the van. In the meantime, Garrison spread a map open on the hood of the car. Terry stepped up beside him and looked to see where they were.

“Um, we seem to be headed in the wrong direction again,” she noted.

“Looks that way,” was all Garrison said.

“Long way across Italy to get to La Speza. Any place we can get a sub in on this side?”

“No. At least no place I know of.”

Terry idly traced a fingertip around the northeast roads and towns. “Aren’t you the one who says why walk when you can fly?”

Garrison nodded. He hated it when his sister was on the same wavelength he was. But it was their best bet.

Chief walked up to the other side of Garrison and looked at the map. “So where to now?”

“San Romeo,” said both Garrisons in unison.

The Indian grinned. “Gonna pay a visit to Frazini, I’m guessin’.”

Garrison nodded to the van. “Will that crate get us there?”

“I think so,” said Chief with certainty.

“Well then, let’s get out of here.”

Chief got in and started the van up. Garrison and Terry climbed in the back with the other three men. Craig changed into civilian clothes and went through the opening to take the passenger seat in the front. The injured two were laying on the floor, heads on duffle bags. Not by chance, Actor was using the bag with his makeup case and the money for a pillow.

The Indian had found a way to bypass the town they had stolen the van and clothes from and soon they were headed into the Po Valley. Having been in the area around San Romeo before, Chief knew where he was headed. They were only stopped twice and both times Garrison was able to talk their way through with very bad German befitting a peasant Italian who had to deal with the people who had taken over his country.

They reached San Romeo mid-afternoon. Garrison crawled into the back of the van and changed back into German uniform. Terry took his place in the front seat. She wasn’t surprised when Chief pulled to the curb a couple blocks from Dr. Moletti’s office. When the street was clear, Garrison hopped out of the back and walked toward the doctor’s office.

There were several people in the waiting room; none equal to or above Garrison’s rank of Major. Luckily, the same unhappy woman was sitting at the reception desk. She grew even more unhappy when she looked up and recognized him.

“May I help you, Major . . .” she hesitated, not having any idea what name he was going under. The last time he had been a Leutnant.

“Major Hoffmann,” said Garrison smoothly with a smile. “I have an appointment.”

The woman made a show of looking at her schedule. “Ah, yes, Major Hoffmann. Please, have a seat and I will let Dr. Moletti know you are here. You are late.”

It amused Garrison the woman had no respect for German officers. He took a seat with his hat in his lap and waited while the gray-haired plump woman went into the exam room. She came back out and ignored him. A few minutes later, the door opened and Dr. Moletti politely escorted an older woman with glasses out. He looked around the room, eyes lighting on Garrison.

“Ah, Major Hoffmann, please come in,” the doctor smiled.

Garrison smiled politely and walked into the office. Moletti closed the door and turned to the officer.

“Lt. Garrison, I was not expecting you,” he said with concern.

“I wasn’t expecting on being here,” admitted Garrison. “I have two men down. The Germans are looking for us. There was a problem in Bologna. I don’t think we can make it to La Speza.”

The short older man nodded. “You need to find Frazini.”

“Yes,” said Garrison. “Will he help us? The last time, he was able to get us out by plane.”

“Oh, I am sure he will help you,” assured the doctor. “He owes his life to you.” The doctor thought a second. “You will have to get rid of that German uniform.”

“No problem. I have regular clothes and we are in a bakery van.”

Moletti smiled. “That will work fine.”

He gave Garrison directions to get to where Frazini and his group were currently staying. After a suitable period of time to cover an examination, Dr. Moletti took the German major to the door and told him his glasses would be ready the next afternoon.   
Garrison thanked him, nodded to the receptionist and left.

Walking slowly back to the van, he waited until the street had cleared again and hopped into the back. Chief immediately took off. Craig leaned into the driver’s compartment and told the Indian where they were going. Chief nodded and headed for the road out of town to the north, while Garrison changed clothes yet again.

When he changed places with his sister, the girl grinned and said, “I hope you’re keeping track of your cons, Brother Dear.”

“I try hard,” said Garrison, deliberately misinterpreting which cons she meant.

There was no problem getting out of town and soon they were winding into the foothills. The road became dirt and grew narrower the farther they progressed. Chief turned off on a small track and coaxed the van over the rough and rocky dirt trail. They had not gone far when two men jumped in front of them, rifles pointed at them. Two other men appeared from the woods and stood on either side of the van, rifles pointed at the occupants of the cab.

“I don’t know any of these men,” said Garrison in a low voice.

Terry was peeking out of the opening to the cab. She spotted one of the men in front of them. “I do.”  
She leaned farther into the cab and called out to the man on Chief’s side. “Mario!”

The man’s eyes narrowed at the use of his friend’s name. He beckoned the one who now seemed to be the leader to come over to the vehicle. The dark haired, unshaven man strode over and looked up into the cab. His eyebrows rose at sight of the girl.

“Teresa?”

“Sì. Mario, abbiamo bisogno di vedere Frazini.”

Mario nodded and told her to bring her people and leave the van.

“No. Ho due feriti.” She held up her thumb and first finger.

Mario nodded and motioned with his rifle to follow him. The other men disappeared into the woods. Chief put the van in low gear and slowly followed behind the man.

“Feriti? Wounded, right?” asked Garrison.

“Sì . . .yes,” replied Terry.

“Just how long were you up here?” asked her brother.

“About three weeks.”

“Before or after Belgium?”

“Before.”

After winding partway up a tall wooded hill, they came to a clearing. There were several campfires, one burning with a tripod and a pot hanging over it. Lean-tos were scattered around the perimeter between trees. Almost a dozen men had stopped what they were doing and were watching the van. All were heavily armed. Chief pulled to a stop but did not shut the engine off. 

Mario walked up to a shorter man and talked to him, gesturing at the van. Frazini turned toward the vehicle. Garrison opened the door and climbed out. Terry scrambled over the seat and slid out behind him. The two of them approached the partisan leader. With a grin, Frazini came forward to meet them, indicating with a hand wave to his men that it was all right.

“What are you doing here, Garrison?” asked the Italian serious now. “Both of you?”

Craig shook his head. “We had a mission in Pescara that went bad. Then we hit German Headquarters in Bologna. That went bad too. The plan was to go to La Speza, but I don’t think we can make it. And I have two injured men. Can you get us out?”

Frazini took a breath. “Yes. I will contact England and see if they can send a plane. Who is hurt?”

“Thank you,” replied Garrison. “Actor and Casino.”

“What are the men’s injuries?”

Terry answered that. “Casino has a concussion and broken wrist. Actor has a knife wound that’s infected and he’s running fever.”

Frazini turned and barked some orders to his men. One of them went into a lean-to and came out with an aide kit. 

“You wish my man to take a look at them?” 

“Yes,” replied Terry. “I could only do so much and I’m out of supplies.”

She led the man to the back of the van and opened the doors. Goniff held a schmeisser and was watching warily.

“It’s okay,” Terry said loud enough for Chief to hear. “This man’s here to help.”

Chief turned the engine off. The man climbed into the back of the van and approached the two wounded men. He recognized Actor and introduced himself as Luca. First he looked at the badly stained dressing on the con man’s arm and then turned to Casino, asking a question in Italian. Whatever was asked was more Italian than Casino knew. Actor answered for him, telling the resistance man what the safecracker’s injuries were.

Garrison and Frazini walked up and looked inside.

“Attore,” greeted Frazini. “Come stai?”

“Abbastanza bene,” replied the con man.

Frazini eyed him. “I think a little worse than abbastanza, my friend.” He smiled. “Luca will take care of you both.” He turned to the two Garrisons. “Come, you are probably hungry. We will let Luca take care of your men.”

Goniff and Chief looked at their leader questioningly. Goniff was torn between food and friends. Chief also did not want to leave the two from their team alone with a man he did not remember from the last time they had been with the group.

“It’s okay,” said Garrison. “Come on.”

Goniff scrambled out of the passenger door and Chief followed a bit more slowly. They went over to the cooking fire and were given bowls of some kind of soup with some chunks of crusty bread. Garrison and his sister did not join them. Instead they followed Frazini to a lean-to structure that contained a man and a radio. 

Rapid Italian was exchanged between the two resistance men and the radio man looked at his watch. It was five more minutes until the window in which he could make contact with England. They waited. When it was time, the message was sent with Garrison’s identification code. Craig watched as the message went out that they needed air transport and had two wounded. The reception of the message was acknowledged. Now they waited. 

Ten minutes later, a message came back with time of pickup. They would have a nine hour wait. Garrison thanked the radio operator. With a wave to go eat from Frazini, he and Terry joined Chief and Goniff by the fire. They gladly accepted two bowls of the soup and sat down to eat.

“They comin’ to get us?” asked Chief.

“Yes,” replied Garrison. “A plane out of Cairo will pick us up at 2am. We switch planes and go on to England.”

Terry gave a humph. “No pyramids or camels.”

“Not unless you can see them in the dark,” teased Craig.

The soup had wild game in it and though a little watery had good flavor. Both Garrisons were enjoying it. There was more of the saltless crusty bread of the region. Garrison and Terry ripped it into chunks and used it to soak up the broth in the soup.

“Wot’s this meat?” asked Goniff, on his second helping.

“Javalina,” said Chief.

Goniff eyed him. “’Av’ a who?”

“Wild boar,” said Garrison.

“Cinghiale,” added Terry with the Italian word.

Goniff shrugged. “It’s good pig,” he declared.

They had almost finished eating when Frazini approached and bent to whisper in Terry’s ear in soft Italian. She looked over her shoulder at him in question and followed his gaze to a teen-aged boy standing across the clearing in the trees. Terry smiled widely in obvious pleasure. She shoved her bowl at Goniff.

“Here, finish this,” she said.

The little pickpocket readily took it and dumped the contents into his own bowl. He looked up, as did Garrison and Chief, when Terry rose, hugged Frazini, and disappeared into the woods with the boy. 

“Where is she going?” asked Garrison.

Frazini made a vague sweep of his arm in the direction of the surrounding woods. “Out there somewhere.” Noting the officer’s concern he added, “You don’t need to worry. She is well looked after.”

“By who?”

“My people.”

Darkness eventually crept in like a blanket. Garrison and Goniff went into the van with Casino and Actor. Chief remained outside, in the open air and watched, as he liked to do. Hours passed and there was no sign of the girl returning.

“I wonder where she went,” said Goniff.

“How long as she been gone now, Warden,” asked Actor from his place on the floor.

“Two and a half hours,” replied Garrison without looking at his watch.

Casino couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire that was smoldering inside their leader. “Wonder who she’s with?”

Garrison did not reply to that. A few minutes later, the back door of the van opened enough to admit the young woman in question. She looked at the faces watching her in the dim light of a candle.

“Where have you been?” demanded her brother.

“Visiting,” she replied.

The girl sat on the floor between the two injured men.

“Visiting who?” persisted Garrison.

“That, Craig, is none of your business,” replied Terry firmly.

“This long, it had to have been male,” smirked Casino.

Terry shrugged. She was fully aware of her brother’s anger. “I was perfectly safe,” she smiled. “He is an o-o-old friend. He’s at least two years older than this one,” she patted Actor’s leg. 

That earned her a glare from the confidence man, a chuckle from Casino and a frown from Garrison. She refused to say anything more and Craig refused to ask.

It was a long wait in the hard metal interior of the van. Finally, Chief got behind the wheel and started the van. Frazini climbed in the passenger seat and turned to peer in the back at Garrison.

“We are going to a place we use as an airstrip. The plane will be on the ground for five minutes. I am afraid your men will have to go on foot to the plane.”

“They’ll make it,” said Garrison. 

The candle was blown out, putting them into darkness. Chief turned the vehicle around and retraced their route down the trail they came in on. It took a half hour to reach the area where the plane would land. The back doors were opened and Casino and Actor were helped to sit up, leaning against the walls by the opening. 

It was not long before Chief said in a low voice, “Plane comin’.”

They got out, Garrison and Chief helping Actor, while Terry and Goniff took Casino. They started forward as tiny fires were lit in an L-shape around the perimeter of the grassy field. A twin engine 6 seater passenger plane circled once and came in to land about 50 yards from them. Frazini ran ahead and held the door open so they could get everyone inside.

“Thanks,” said Garrison with a grip of Frazini’s arm. 

“Anytime, my friend,” assured the Italian.

Terry gave him a quick hug and got in behind the four men. Garrison climbed in and shut the door. He wasn’t even seated before the plane was rolling. 

The aircraft rose and skimmed the tree tops before banking to cut across to the Adriatic Sea. They flew down the middle of it, low to the water, down the Ionian Sea and across the Mediterranean to Cairo. A quick change of planes and they were on their way back to England.


	9. Chapter 9

Two ambulances were waiting nearby as the converted bomber pulled around and stopped on the hardstand. A blond civilian was the first man out of the plane. He stood by watching as the two stretchers with his men were unloaded and slid into the back of the ambulances. The woman had climbed out with two other men and watched the procedure also. She jumped into the nearest jeep and waited for a slighter blond man to climb into the back. Her face wore a frown and her concentration was trained on the two ambulances. At a sharp word from the woman, the driver of the jeep sent it speeding in pursuit of the ambulances. A second jeep, bearing the blond man and younger, darker man, followed.

The ambulances backed up almost to the door of the base hospital. The back doors were opened and the medics unloaded the injured men. First one and then the other jeep pulled up beside the ambulances. The four civilians got out and strode into the hospital behind the medics. 

As usual for Archbury Air Force Base’s hospital it was a scene of controlled chaos. Nurses and orderlies scurried around in and out of rooms and into the nurse’s station. The short, stocky major in green scrubs walked up to the first stretcher. Doc Kaiser examined Actor briefly before turning to the nurse. 

“Get this one into a room. Start an IV. He needs fluids and penicillin. Then I want to see that wound.”

As the stretcher was taken down the hall, nurse in tow, Kaiser turned to the next stretcher. He eased Casino’s arm carefully out of the sling and examined the splint and the hand. The major beckoned another nurse over. 

“I want x-rays of that wrist and then put him in the room with the other one. Start an IV on him too.”

Casino was carried down a connecting hall toward the x-ray department. Garrison, Chief and Goniff had come to stand close by. Finally, the surgeon’s attention turned to the only woman of the group. 

“I know. You’re staying.”

Terry gave a firm nod.

Kaiser sighed. “I can’t give you a cot. I have to double up your men. We don’t have room. We’re full of casualties.”

Terry nodded again. “If I can get a chair I will be fine. And I can take care of them here, except for medicines. I’ll free up some of your nurses.”

“Fine.” Kaiser strode off.

Garrison touched his sister’s shoulder. “I’m going to phone Major Schaeffer. I may have to leave you here.” He turned to the other two men. “You can come with me if you want.”

Goniff shook his head. “I think I’ll take me a seat on this bench and wait until they bring Casino back.”

Chief shrugged. “I’ll wait with Goniff.”

“I’ll go down to the room,” said Terry. “I want to know what Doc has to say.”

“Try not to annoy him,” said Garrison.

“Who, Kaiser or Actor?” grinned the girl.

“Both of them.”

Garrison went around the corner to the phone on the wall to make his call. He waited, leaning against the wall in fatigue, as the call was routed through the G-2 building in Brandonshire. 

“Major Schaeffer’s office.” The voice was professional, but still told of a smile.

“Meg, this is Lt. Garrison. I need to speak with the Major.”

“Right away, Lieutenant,” she said. “Hold on, please.”

A moment later, the call was transferred into the major’s office. The irritating voice of the British major came on.

“Lt. Garrison, you are late. You missed your rendezvous.”

“Yes, Sir,” said Garrison, trying to maintain his military bearing. “There were complications. The information was divided between two locations in Italy. We were able to obtain both sets of documents.”

“And where might I ask are you?” Schaeffer asked in his haughtily sarcastic voice.

“Archbury Air Force Base hospital,” replied Craig. “I have two wounded men.”

That information was brushed off. “How soon can you get here, Lieutenant?”

“When my men have been seen to, Sir.” Garrison’s tone was bordering on insubordination.

“I want you here in an hour, Lieutenant.”

“Sir, I am going to see to my men first and then I will get transportation to G-2,” said Craig firmly. “Unless of course, the major would like to send a car for me.” That would extend the time Garrison had to find out what Kaiser’s verdict was. 

Schaeffer knew he was being manipulated, but Garrison had really not overstepped his bounds. It did not improve the Major’s attitude.

“I will send a car in an hour, Garrison. If that time frame changes, you will notify me at once.”

“Of course, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

He resisted the urge to slam the receiver down. Garrison was not sure whom he disliked more, the British Major Schaeffer or the American Colonel Yates. Yates won out. He was vicious, while Schaeffer was merely annoying . . . as hell. Craig went back to the bench and sat beside Chief. He pulled a cigarette out and lit it, taking a long drag on it and holding the smoke in his lungs for a few seconds before slowly exhaling.

“Take it the Major ain’t too happy,” said Chief.

“Never is, is he?” observed Garrison.

“Seems bloody impossible Meg’s ‘is daughter,” said Goniff. “They’re nothing alike.”

“Probably took after her mother,” said Garrison in a rare moment of comradery. 

The three men sat on the bench. All were beyond tired. This had been a lousy mission. The two cons hoped whatever was in those papers was worth what they had gone through. After a bit, Goniff got up and went to the cafeteria, returning with three cups of coffee. He handed one to the lieutenant and Chief and sat back down, sipping on his.

Major Kaiser came out of a room and walked down to them. He addressed Garrison.

“I’ll come back to the room to talk to you after I have seen the x-rays of the other man’s wrist.”

“Thank you, Sir,” said Garrison.

Garrison watched the doctor go behind the nurse’s station. The major looked just as exhausted as he and his men were. Garrison did not think they had ever been here when the place wasn’t hopping with wounded; some times worse than others. 

GGG

Casino was brought back on the stretcher and taken down to the room Actor was in. The three men rose and followed slowly. It would take a minute to get the safecracker settled into a bed.

The door opened and Kaiser stopped short at sight of the room filled with people. The girl was sitting on a chair between the two beds. Lieutenant Garrison and his two other men were standing tightly in the small space at the end of the beds. With a frown, the doctor squeezed in between the wall and the bed of Casino.

“You are Casino?” he asked.

“Yeah,” replied Casino warily.

“You are the safecracker?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“And you are right handed?”

“Yeah. Why?” he asked a little more belligerently to cover his worry at the doctor’s questions.

Kaiser ignored the somewhat surly attitude. “The x-rays show some displacement of the bones in your wrist. You need to go to surgery to have the wrist manipulated into alignment or you will have a difficult time in your line of work.” The last was said with a touch of wryness. 

“How soon?” asked Garrison.

Kaiser shook his head. “The sooner the better, but I have no OR nurses right now. As I said, we are full of casualties.”

Terry stood up. “Can I talk to you outside?” she asked. At his resigned look she added, “Please.”

Kaiser motioned her to follow him. Garrison stepped into Goniff to give her room to get past him and tried to follow. A raised hand from his sister stopped him. She followed the doctor into the hall. Kaiser crossed his arms and looked at her, expecting more trouble.

“Look,” said Terry. “I know we don’t get along, but if you are willing, I would like to volunteer my services as your surgical nurse. That is if you aren’t too tired to do this now. I am a fully licensed OR nurse.”

Kaiser watched her, contemplating her words. “Feel up to doing both patients?”

Terry’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Actor too?”

“Yes,” said Kaiser. “I want to open more of that wound up and clean it out under anesthesia.”

Terry nodded. “I’m game.” She was surprised he had accepted her offer.

Doc turned around until he spotted a nurse and called to her. “Find some scrubs that will fit this woman and find me an anesthetist who isn’t asleep on his feet.”

“Right away, Doctor,” said the nurse, hurrying off to do his bidding.

Terry stepped back into the room. She looked between the two men in the beds. “You’re both going to surgery. Casino first and then Actor.”

“Me?” asked Actor fuzzily.

“You too,” said Terry. “He’s going to try to correct the mess I made of your arm.”

“You did not . . .”

“Can it, Actor. We’ll discuss it later.”

Garrison turned his sister around. “I thought he didn’t have any nurses?”

“He does now,” replied Terry.

Garrison knew the antagonism between the woman and the air force surgeon. “He agreed to it?”

“Without a fight,” said Terry, still somewhat surprised.

Craig searched her face. “You haven’t had much, if any, sleep. Can you do this?”

A cocky smile graced the girl’s face. “No problem.”

“You’re goin’ to surgery with me?” asked Casino, not sure he could believe what he was hearing.

“Yeah,” said Terry turning to him. “Got a problem with that?”

“Not a bit, Babe,” the safecracker grinned at her.

“Teresa . . .”

“I didn’t ask you, Actor,” cut in Terry with a smile to temper her words. 

A nurse entered the room with scrubs over her arm. She held them out to Terry. The girl accepted them and followed the nurse out to find a place to change. When she returned, she was wearing the green scrub suit, covered by a long sleeved green coat that hung to mid-calf.

“This feels strange after all these years,” said Terry.

Garrison eyed her with concern. “You sure you can do this . . . after all these years?”

Terry eyed him back narrowly. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to question your medical personnel in front of the patient?” She smiled confidently. “Of course I can.”

They waited for another twenty minutes before orderlies came with a gurney. The men and Terry stepped outside until Casino was brought out. 

Chief stepped up to the gurney. “Have a nice sleep,” he said with a grin.

Casino snorted. “Only way a guy can get any rest around here.”

“I wouldn’t go an’ pinch the nurse, if I was you, Mate,” added Goniff.

Casino looked up at Terry. “Naw, I know all about her right hook.”

The orderlies took the gurney down the hall toward the surgery doors, Terry following behind. With shared looks of tired resignation, the three men went back into the room with Actor. Not long after, a nurse came to the door and told Garrison there was a corporal to drive him to Brandonshire. Garrison thanked her. He looked at Chief and Goniff.

“You can stay or come with me,” he said.

Goniff winked at Actor. “I think I might just go with you, Warden,” he said. “Just to make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”

Garrison gave him a wry look, knowing it wasn’t himself Goniff was going to keep an eye on. He looked at Chief.

“I think I’ll stay here,” said the Indian.

Garrison exchanged a look with Actor of support. The Italian nodded. With a jerk of his head, Craig motioned Goniff to go out. When they had gone, Chief took a seat in the chair next to Actor. The knife came out and he began polishing the blade on his pants leg.

“You are going to scare the nurses,” said Actor.

“I’ll hide it if one comes in.”

GGG

It was more than an hour later when both men returned to their room. Casino was fully awake, but Actor was still groggy. Chief had moved the chair out of the way when the gurneys were brought in one at a time and now sat on it in the corner of the room at Actor’s feet. The door opened to admit Terry, basin and wet cloth in hand. She smiled at Chief and Casino. As she went between the two beds, Chief got up and put the chair back in place behind her. 

“Thanks,” she said, glancing to see him go back to the corner and sit on his heels. She had seen him sit that way before for hours, so she said nothing about it. She set the basin and cloth on the bed beside the con man.

“How are you?” Terry asked Casino.

“I’m okay,” replied the safecracker. “So, how’d I do?”

“Just fine,” smiled the girl. “It shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

“Good. I’m hungry. Can’t a guy get some food around here?”

“Not for a little bit yet,” said the girl. “I want your stomach to have time to settle after the anesthesia.”

She checked the cast that was in a sling, resting against Casino’s chest. Satisfied, she straightened and turned to Chief.

“You can go get something to eat if you want,” she said.

Chief nodded. “You want me to bring you anything?”

“More coffee, I guess,” said Terry with a grimace. “I’ll eat later with Casino. Besides, the smell of food will make him worse.” She nodded toward Actor. “You know he’s going to come up puking.”

Chief chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Terrific,” said Casino. “Got another room I can go to?”

“Nope,” said Terry. “You’ll just have to put up with it.”

After Chief had left the room, Casino cast a glance at the still sleeping confidence man and then back to the girl sitting on the chair next to him. “Thanks, Babe,” he said quietly.

Terry rubbed his left arm, “Anytime. Just not too soon again.”

A gulping sound came from the next bed. Terry turned quickly and grasped Actor’s arm as he tried to sit up. He made it to a sitting position. Terry got the basin in front of him just in time. Mostly it was dry heaves; if anything, worse than if his stomach had anything in it.

Casino watched the girl rub the back of the Italian’s neck. “Funny, he don’t handle anesthesia too good.”

“No, he doesn’t,” agreed Terry.

“I don’t find it funny,” said the con man grumpily between gasps.

“No, I don’t imagine you do, caro,” said Terry soothingly. 

His stomach seemed to have settled down for the moment. The girl helped him lay down again and gave him the wet cloth to wipe his face. He closed his eyes and held the cloth out for Terry to take. Satisfied he was okay for a minute, she took the basin and the cloth out to clean them.

When she returned, Casino patted the bed beside him. She set the basin and cloth within close reach and sat on the edge of the safecracker’s bed. 

“How’s the hand?” Terry asked.

“Better. I can move my thumb and it only hurts a little.” He demonstrated.

“Well, don’t be doing that until that cast dries or you’re going to screw it up,” admonished Terry.

“I know,” said Casino. “Twenty-four hours.” He looked up at her with a grin. “So how soon can we go home?”

“Not until tomorrow morning,” said Terry. “Doc wants to observe you overnight with that concussion. And he wants another couple doses of antibiotic in Actor before he releases you two.”

Casino gave her a calculating look. “And I’ll just bet you’ll be the one watchin’ us all night.”

“I would say that’s a safe bet,” said Actor without opening his eyes.

Terry smiled. “What? You two think you’re up to chasing the nurses? You want me to go back to the Mansion?”

“I never said that,” grinned Casino. “Did you, Actor?”

“Not that I recall,” the Italian replied. It did not look like he was going to get any more sleep with the safecracker talking. He opened his eyes and turned his head to see the girl. “What did the Major do to my arm?”

Terry shifted her bottom over to his bed now. “Is it feeling better?”

“A little,” admitted the con man. “How bad is it?”

“Not as bad as it could have been,” replied Terry. “He opened it up, cleaned it out good, put a little drain in one place and stitched up to the drain.”

“That will leave a scar,” lamented Actor.

“Yes,” agreed Terry. “He did the best he could with it. You won’t lose any function of your arm or hand though.”

Casino didn’t know that had been a possibility. He had his head turned, watching Actor.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said in his usual cocky manner. “Yuh usually wear long sleeves. And the dames like war wounds. Makes you look brave.”

“That may be for the women you date,” said Actor. “Some have not liked the scars. They are imperfections.” That was not something the arrogant man would normally have admitted.

“Well, nobody’s perfect, Actor. Not even you. If you’re so worried about it, just turn out the lights when yuh get laid.”

“I do not ‘get laid’,” objected the confidence man indignantly. “I make love. I doubt you understand that concept.”

“Hey, I’m trying to help. If you’re gonna be a jerk about it. . .”

“Gentlemen, please!” objected Terry. “Do you have to have this conversation in front of me?”

“Sorry, Babe,” apologized Casino insincerely. “Beautiful just can’t stand if somebody doesn’t think he’s perfect.”

“Casino . . .” growled Actor warningly.

“Enough! Both of you!” ordered the girl.

One good thing about the two of them arguing; it kept Actor from heaving. Terry returned to her chair. It was going to be a long night. 

The door opened and Chief walked in. He handed a cup of coffee to Terry and took in the glares that were being exchanged by the men in the two beds. He must have missed something. Just as well. At least if those two were fighting, Casino would not be on his back.

GGGGG

They were all back at the Mansion the next day. The antibiotics had done Actor a lot of good. His arm was down to an ache that was mostly relieved by the sling. He was up in his chair with his pipe and a good book he had to have laying on his lap to read.  
It was late evening; the others having gone to their rooms to catch up on the sleep they had missed for the past week. Garrison was in his office, door open, finishing the typed report for G-2. Actor had finished the book he was reading and gone into the library to get a new one for the morning. So it was, Terry went into her brother’s office, thinking they had some privacy. Actor was just returning when he saw the back of her disappear into the office. Something about the tension in her body made him stay and listen.

Garrison looked up and was warned by the stony expression on the girl’s face. “There a problem?”

“Was it worth it, Craig?” she said steadily. “Was it worth almost getting them killed?”

“Intelligence thinks it was.”

“Intelligence doesn’t give a damn about them,” said the girl with barely subdued anger. “We’re all expendable to them. Kill a con on a mission, who cares? Cons are easy to replace. We have prisons full of them.” She paused and said in a quieter voice, “I thought better of you. Guess I was wrong. You’re the same as you were before. All military, just like Dad. “

Garrison sat back and watched her silently. He remembered having a similar conversation in Italy with his men when they were trying to get Gen. Kaltenbrunner out. It would do no good to argue with Terry. He refused to go on the defensive with her. Besides, he sometimes thought, as now, that she might be right. He wasn’t going to tell her they weren’t just cons to him. They were men and as close to friends as he could allow them to be.

Terry shook her head. “I’m going to bed.”

Garrison went back to his task and effectively shut her out. Actor picked up his book and moved back by the library door. He was looking at the open book as though engrossed in the content. He looked up as Terry came out. She stopped short and stared at him.

“Good night, Teresa,” Actor smiled.

“’Night.” She frowned as though wondering if he had heard anything.

The con man placed his book on his side table and picked up his pipe, going to the fireplace and tapping the spent tobacco into it. When he looked up, the girl was gone. Actor went silently past Garrison’s door and up the stairs to his room.

Craig had just sat down on his bed when there was a faint tap at the door. 

“Come in.”

The door opened and Actor slipped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked up the officer and smiled, pulling a bottle of Courvoisier from his sling. The Warden had a bottle of very good brandy in his room, but this was better.

“May we join you?” asked the con man indicating himself and his bottle.

“Please do,” said Garrison with a crooked grin. 

While Actor pulled a chair around and got the top off the bottle, Craig went to his armoire and retrieved two glasses. 

“It has been a while since we were able to have a little private session, Warden,” said the con man. “I hope you are not too tired for one tonight.”

“I’m tired,” admitted Garrison, “but not that tired.”

He held the glasses out while Actor poured two healthy portions of the strong liquor into them. The Italian set the bottle on the table and accepted a glass from Garrison as the lieutenant took a seat on his bed. They touched rims in a toast, and both took a swallow of the fine cognac. Garrison relaxed a bit.

“Warden,” said Actor. “I must confess.”

Garrison raised an eyebrow. “You? Confess?”

Actor shrugged. “Only behind closed doors.”

Garrison chuckled. “Confess what?”

“I am afraid I am guilty of listening to your conversation with Teresa.”

Garrison looked at him, wondering what was coming next. They both took another swallow of their drinks.

“You realize that in a relatively short period of time, Teresa has almost been killed twice?” Actor poured more cognac into their glasses.

Garrison nodded slowly. “We run into that almost every mission.”

“Ah, but she doesn’t. She is afraid. Not a bad thing. You know her better than we do. How does she normally act when she is afraid?” Actor took another drink.

“Terry has never been afraid of anything.”

Actor shook his head. “Come now, Warden. Every one of us has been afraid at some point. And more than once.”

Garrison thought about some instances on the ranch as they were growing up. “She gets angry.”

“As she is now.” Actor could see the thoughts churning in the young officer’s mind. “And, for whatever reason, you know she has adopted us. And all of us are grateful that she has. She seems to be defending us.”

“Well, that she is good at,” said Craig with a smile.

“Give her time,” advised Actor. “She will come to terms with everything.”

“I suppose.”

Actor figured that was enough of the personal conversation.

“So, what next? I see the good major did not give us another mission.”

“No,” said Garrison. “I have to go to London tomorrow for a meeting with Major Richards and Col. Hammond about the information we obtained.”

“So, they are finding it valuable?”

“Very much so,” said Garrison.

“Good,” said Actor amicably. “Then I will leave you to get some rest.”

Both men tossed down the last of their drinks. Actor capped the bottle and tucked it back into his sling. He rose and nodded.

“Thank you, Warden. I find these little talks very enjoyable.”

Garrison watched the door close silently behind the tall man. He pondered on their “little talk” and realized it had been more of a counseling session. But, even at that, he had enjoyed it too. With a wry smile and a shake of his head, Craig set about getting ready for bed. Yes, tomorrow would be a long day.


End file.
